Fallen
by Iwovepizza
Summary: Gaea has awoken and Olympus has fallen. The seven and Nico are separated and taken captive, tortured to the edge of insanity. Then Porphyrion the Giant King begins an annual Hunger Games. Can they bring themselves to kill the people who have become like family? Because there can only be one victor. Who will win and who will die?
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N) Unlike some Percy Jackson/Hunger Games crossovers, this Hunger Games will only be partially interactive. I will choose most of the tributes, but it's up to you to make up other characters. In my Hunger Games, it's only going to be one boy/girl from each District, because what I say goes and I say it's too much work to keep track of 24 tributes. DISTRICT 13 IS NOT INCLUDED; THIS IS A PARTIALLY REGULAR HUNGER GAMES. You cannot submit two characters, and you must ****_POST IT IN THE_****_REVIEW_****_. _****All characters that are submitted must be:**

**A) A weaker demigod; NO CHILDREN OF THE BIG THREE, NO CHILDREN OF TITANS LIKE CALYPSO AND ZOE, AND NO MORTALS THAT CAN SEE THROUGH THE MIST LIKE RACHEL. **

**B) Working for the giants, because I'm going to insert the seven plus Nico in myself. Besides, if nobody worked for the giants, all of the seven plus Nico would just sit there and not kill each other and the Capitol (The giants) would have to kill them off. If the demigod is working for the giants, they'll be crazy to try and impress their masters and will want to kill the seven and Nico. **

**C) In between the ages of 12-18 **

**D) Godly parent must be according to the district you have submitted them to. For example, if you want to submit a demigod from District 10, you can't have a son of Ares, for that wouldn't make any sense.**

**E) NOT FROM THE PJO SERIES OR ANY OTHER SERIES. THE CHARACTERS MUST BE ORIGINAL. I WILL ONLY PICK THE BEST. **

**Here's how you set it up:**

**Name****:**

**Gender****:**

**Age****:**

**District****:**

**Weapon of Choice****: (ANY WEAPON IS ALLOWED, WHETHER IT BE A SWORD OR AN FREAKING SLINGSHOT, I DON'T CARE. CREATIVITY COUNTS)**

**Godly Parent****: (PARENT MUST BE A ****_REAL_**** GREEK OR ROMAN GOD; NO NORSE OR EGYPTIAN OR ANY OTHER TYPES OF DEMIGODS)**

**Description: ****(Just list a few physical features. Must include eye, hair, and skin color so I don't mess your character up.)**

**Personality: ****(Warning: all characters that are not the seven or Nico automatically are cruel, vicious, greedy, and evil. I make them that way, so don't try to avoid it. This is writing about what else they are and what hobbies they have when they aren't being cold-blooded killers. I might spare one or two characters of wickedness, but most characters are going to be evil)**

**Backstory****: (BACKSTORY CANNOT BE MORE THAN TEN SENTENCES LONG. I DO NOT CARE IF YOU USE COMMAS TO MAKE ONE HUGE SENTENCE GO ON FOREVER; ALL IT HAS TO BE IS TEN SENTENCES. I'LL BE COUNTING THE PERIODS.)**

**ORDER DOES NOT MATTER, IT'S JUST THAT THOSE CATEGORIES MUST BE PROVIDED. **

**Anyway, here's what I have so far. You cannot submit a character for Districts that are already taken.**

**District 1****-luxury items/jewels: Hazel Levesque**

**District 2****-stone cutting, fighting, weapon making: (SPOT AVAILABLE: COULD POSSIBLY GO TO A CHILD OF HEHAESTUS/VULCAN OR ARES/MARS, BUT YOU CAN BE CREATIVE AND LOOK MORE GODS UP)**

**District 3****-Production of electronics: Leo Valdez (I know some of you might want him in District 12 because of the coal, but Leo develops electronics just fine)**

**District 4****-Fishing: Percy Jackson (Duh)**

**District 5****-electrical power: Jason Grace**

**District 6****-transportation: (SPOT AVAILABLE: COULD POSSIBLY GO TO A CHILD OF HERMES/MERCURY, BUT YOU CAN STILL BE CREATIVE)**

**District 7****-lumber and paper: (SPOT AVAILABLE: COULD POSSIBLY GO TO A CHILD OF DEMETER/CERES, BUT YOU CAN STILL BE CREATIVE)**

**District 8****-cloth/weaving: Annabeth Chase (sorry, it's the only district she'd fit into since her mom is the goddess of weaving, too)**

**District 9****- producing grain: Piper McLean (again, it's the only district she'd fit into unless it was District 1, but Hazel won that spot. I think it's to test to see if she's really as rough and tough as she thinks she is.)**

**District 10****-Livestock: Frank Zhang (You know, since he can turn into animals)**

**District 11****- Agriculture: (SPOT AVALABLE: COULD POSSIBLY GO TO A CHILD OF DEMETER/CERES OR DIONYSUS/BACCHUS, BUT YOU CAN BE CREATIVE.)**

**District 12****-coal mining: Nico di Angelo (Since District 12 is dark and gloomy and so are coal mines. Eh, I think he fits in just fine.)**

**REVIEW AND MAYBE YOUR ORIGINAL CHARACTER WILL BE DRAFTED INTO THE PERCY JACKSON HUNGER GAMES!**

**I'm going to start off the story with them losing the war in the next chapter; blah, blah, blah. I HOPE YOU LIKE IT.**

**_NOTE_****: YOU MUST HAVE YOUR CHARACTER POSTED IN THE REVIEWS BY THE TIME I PUBLISH THE FOURTH CHAPTER. THIS IS THE FIRST CHAPTER AND THE SECOND CHAPTER WILL JUST BE ABOUT THE SEVEN BEING CAPTURED. THE THIRD CHAPTER IS LIFE IN THE DISTRICTS. THEN AFTER THAT WILL BE WHEN THEY MEET THE OTHER TRIBUTES. I WILL READ EVERY SINGLE REVIEW. I WILL LIST YOUR USERNAME IF YOUR CHARACTER WAS PICKED. I WILL NOT ACCEPT CHARACTERS THAT ARE SUBMITTED AFTER THE DEADLINE, WHICH IS IN 24 DAYS AT 12:00 PM. **


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N) HAPPY HUNGER GAMES AND MAY THE ****_GODS_**** BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or PJO.**

Chapter One: Defeat

**Leo POV**

At first, all I could register was the excruciating pain and the guilt, which was even more painful than the agony itself. My guards, two buff Laistrygonian Giants, had broken both my legs to discourage escape after that last attempt. Even then I doubted I'd be able to dart away from these huge monsters. They dragged me down the dimly lit, cold, dark, hallways; each guard carrying one of my arms. I didn't even bother to try and walk or thrash as they dragged me down the corridor; life was over. The seven had been beaten.

I remember the defeat like it was yesterday, though it had been well over a month ago. I had pushed the Argo to into the fastest speed it could go as the rest of the seven, Nico (who had shadow-travelled back to us right after he delivered the statue, Reyna, and Coach Hedge to Half-Blood Hill; insisting that he wanted to help us fight), and I watched in horror as Porphyrion, the Giant king, sacrificed two demigods. We had not known them, for the Giants had given up trying to capture us and had easily captured two other demigods that they managed to get their hands on. Both had been young, roughly fourteen. They had looked so terrified when the tip of Porphyrion's spear had punctured their backs and went through their hearts, coming out of the other side. They had died with their eyes open.

The image of their sightless, glazed eyes had burned onto the backs of my eyelids. Every time I closed my eyes, there the corpses were; staring at me with a lifeless gaze. There had been blood everywhere, spilling across the stones on Mount Olympus (the real Mount Olympus in Greece, not the godly Mount Olympus in the Empire State Building.) The earth had begun to shake and tremble, chasms splitting open in all directions and earthen tendrils swirling out of them. The brown tendrils had merged to form the silhouette of Gaea. She threw back her head and cackled, making the ground shake violently. She turned to look at the Argo, which I had slowed to a halt in midair. Her eyes were no longer closed; they were open and shined with a green light.

Gaea had risen. We had failed. Her hair was a mass of leaves, vines, and earth and it floated around her shoulders as if she were in outer space. Her dress was made of leaves, with a breastplate made of bark. Her fingers had gnarly wooden claws that were chipped and splintered. Her skin was pale and had assumed a greenish tinge. Her lips were the only things that weren't green or brown; they were a blood red. She was a giant; towering taller than two Empire State Buildings stacked on top of each other. She made her children seem like midgets.

"You're too late measly demigods. Now watch as the world falls to the power of Mother Earth!" she cackled wickedly and raised her hands. From the chasms from which she had formed poured forth a horde of monsters, all howling and screeching for blood. Arai and griffons took to the sky and swarmed our ship. We couldn't have possibly killed them all; because every time you killed an arai a curse was settled upon your shoulders and the griffons were too many. Some even carried Cyclopes and dracaene on board with their claws.

I was quickly pried from the wheel and I staggered through the monsters who were mobbing the deck. I felt claws shredding my clothes and ripping at my skin, turning it into minced meat. I screamed in agony and tried to swat them away, but my hands didn't do a very good job of fending off monsters. I tried to pull a hammer from my belt, but my main magic weapon, the thing I held dear, had been torn from my waist and was probably scattered in tiny shreds all across the deck.

I screamed again and shielded my face and eyes as the monsters swarmed me. I looked up to see Jason bending over Piper, who had collapsed onto the ground. Blood was trickling from the corners of her mouth and her eyes were closed. I had no idea whether she was breathing or not. Jason had a wild gleam in his eyes as he slashed savagely at the crowd of monsters with his _gladiu_s, shielding Piper with his body.

I screamed his name until my throat was raw and shoved my way through the mass of monsters towards him. My best friend looked up from Piper's seemingly lifeless body and a look of relief spread across his features. His face was marred with scratches and bruises and that little scar on his lip had been split open once more. He looked absolutely terrified, because he knew what I was thinking; this was a battle we could not win. I ran next to him and took over the job of protecting Piper and gave Jason the opportunity to hack through any monster that dared come close. An arai screeched and sliced her claws across his cheek, causing my friend to cry out. He turned her to powder but immediately collapsed onto the ground, screaming. Blood began to seep out of his pores in an awful sight that was not to be beheld. He just kept screaming and screaming; his wails of agony rising over the sound of chaos.

Great. Now I had two friends to protect and no weapon. I summoned fire on my hands and blasted the wood around us in a circle, making a ring of protective flames around me and the bodies of my two collapsed friends. The monsters began to shy away from the wall of fire and melted into the crowd, looking for my other friends to snack on. Piper's eyes fluttered open and she sat up, coughing up blood. She saw Jason collapsed next to her screaming and her screams joined his.

"Sciron." Jason gasped between shrieks. "Cursed me. Slowly torn to shreds by turtle teeth. Turtle's poisonous spit causes bleeding pores. Hurts. Bad."

"Jason! Just…hang in there!" I pleaded. It was the best thing I could say. I could be a too-optimistic loser that said, "Everything is going to be OK" and crap like that. The thing was; it wasn't going to be OK. We were going to lose this battle; this was the one fight that the mighty seven could not win. I tried to fight off the monsters with Jason's gladius, but the sword was too heavy and I was clumsy and too slow. Pretty soon the pain became unbearable and I passed out on top of my friends.

-Ω-

My friends and I had wound up at the Great Giant Prison, which was housed in the crumbling remains of the Empire State Building just to torture us. It was only the four guys of the seven and Nico that resigned here. The girls had been taken off to Gaea's huge palace that was built on the remains of Athens to oblige as Gaea's servants. Our cells were underground, in tunnels that wound their way under the huge building. Huge chunks were missing from the walls and large areas were charred and crumbling. The entire needle on the top had been torn off entirely. Each of the one hundred-two floors had a new torture for us to experience. All of the walls had been on each floor removed to the floor one large room.

One of the three major ones was burning, which they did to my friends but simply chained me down and forced me to watch them and hear their screams of agony. The giants had plated the walls and floor with enchanted metal that wouldn't melt. A large pedestal rose up from the floor that my friends would be forced to kneel on top of. Their wrists, ankles, and biceps would be shackled to the marble and a thick metal collar would be worn around their necks to weigh their heads down. Their shirts would be removed and our main tormentor, Polybotes, would burn designs and words into their skin with a large metal spike that would be heated up in the huge fire pit that in one corner of the huge room.

Next came the slashing. Basically we were chained to the ground and any guard that just happened to be wandering on that floor could take a sword, one of many that lined the walls, and slice our skin until it was turned to minced meat. They'd let us lie there and scream our throats raw for an hour or so before force-feeding us ambrosia so that we could experience it all over again the next day.

Finally there was the mental torture. They'd chain us down onto a huge slab of stone so that our legs were together but our arms were stretched out, just like a person who was crucified. After hearing out our cries to not to, they'd put us under and feed us nightmares. Our worst memories would replay over and over in our minds and our good memories would turn dark. Voices chanted in our minds that the ones we cared for were all dead and they convinced us every m even though we willed ourselves to not believe them. We'd wake up screaming and they'd drag us to the next floor.

There were others, too.

They'd beat us with either clubs or their fists; each blow causing a horrifying bruise to form or even breaking bones. They'd bring us so close to death; so close we could almost taste it and Nico could sense it, then they'd force-feed us ambrosia so that we could live to survive another day of torture.

They'd also force our heads into a tub of water until we passed out. Our lungs would shriek for air and bubbles would stream out of our mouths as we screamed underwater. The water was salty and if we opened our eyes they would sting like hell. When we finally inhaled, water would fill our lungs and we'd black out. Through the water I could hear Percy's desperate cries. He's scream for them to stop, but his pleas would reach dead ears.

We were also strapped into chairs and electrocuted if we didn't give information; each time we were shocked the volts growing. I had no idea whether the worst part was the shocking or the fact that Jason was screaming his throat raw as he watched.

There were countless other tortures, but I couldn't list them all. We'd usually go through the pain together as brothers, but the utmost floors of the ruins of the Empire State Building housed the worst; the ones that you had to brave alone, for they were your fears and yours alone. A floor was dedicated to each of us; five floors for each of our fears.

Percy had said that one of his tortures included his guards shoving him into a tub of muskeg, where he'd thrash and scream until the mud filled his mouth and lungs and he'd pass out. Only then did they hoist him up. He would've died every time if some of the medics, who were children of Apollo that were brought from Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, would perform CPR and mouth-to-mouth.

Speaking of, the two camps were now prisons. Every demigod had been captured, including the Hunters of Artemis. The barriers had been destroyed and New Rome and the cabins at Camp Half-Blood had been burned to the ground, replaced by specialized cells to house children of certain gods. Outside of the doors of the Aphrodite/Venus cells were earplugs for the monsters so that they couldn't be effected by charmspeak. The Hermes/Mercury cell had no windows or locks, for the crafty demigods would simply steal the keys off a guard, pick the lock, or somehow escape through the window. Instead they had one of those one-way walls that Percy had described when Nico accidentally gave him over to Hades and the god had imprisoned him.

All of my memories, even the ones of Calypso, who had been brutally murdered right in front of me, had turned dark. There was no happiness or hope in me anymore. No jokes, no smiles, no laughs; just a shell of what once was the happy-go-lucky Leo Valdez.

As I was dragged down the hallway, I knew that there was no hope left. We'd be tortured until we died and that would be that. The world had crumbled; all mortals and animals, including mythological ones such as pegasi and unicorns, were dead except for the ones that Gaea kept in brutal zoos that baby monsters and their parents could marvel at. The gods had been cast into Tartarus, which was now devoid of all monsters unless they died of old age, to be tortured for the rest of eternity. Even with my broken mind I knew that there was no hope left. It was over. Evil had overcome the good for once.

-Ω-

**Percy POV**

I curled up next to Jason and wrapped my arms tightly around him. Nico leaned against my back and Frank was pressed against Jason's. It was so cold and dark. Our breaths came out in puffs of steam and I knew that our clothes, which were torn to the point where only strings were holding them together, offered us no warmth. My fingers and toes began to numb, but I didn't care. My chest was warm against Jason's and his hand grasped mine. Our cheeks touched and I felt silent tears trickling down his face.

We were on the edge of insanity, but Polybotes wouldn't let us go. They wouldn't let our sanity leave us, because then we'd finally be free. Inanity was Heaven, for it would let our souls leave these wretched bodies, even if it reduced us to blabbering freaks. It would be the time where we could be…peaceful.

Everything hurt; both mentally and physically. I wanted to kill myself, but there was nothing to kill myself with. I wanted them to get on with it; drive me insane or kill me, I didn't want to suffer like this. It hurt so bad I found myself crying silently along with Jason. He didn't deserve this torture. He was younger than me and I felt an urge of protectiveness, even though he was a few inches taller. I squeezed his hand encouragingly, but he didn't squeeze back.

We'd tried everything; from starving ourselves to trying to anger our guards so they'd beat us to death. That was not the case. They fed us so scarcely that whenever they did feed us they held us down and forced the food down our throats. And no matter how angry they got, they always force-fed us ambrosia and the wounds would heal.

A special part of my torture aside from the muskeg was a little thing Polybotes liked to call "Wishing you were never a demigod." It was the exact thing he'd threatened to do to me when I was defending New Rome. He had guards chain me to the bottom of a tank of water and then he'd squeeze into a suit and mask so that none of his skin touched the water; therefore it didn't turn to poison. He'd climb into the tank and sink to the bottom. Then he'd beat me. He'd beat me so hard and so much I could feel my life slipping away. He'd lash me and hit me as if I was his punching bag.

Right when I thought I was going to finally be free of my body, he'd stop. Then, no matter how much I willed it not to, the water would heal me and my energy and essence would return into my body. I'd scream and wail and sob. I'd been so close; so close to being unrestricted, yet the opportunity had slipped away from me. One more lash from his whip would've ended my miserable life right there, but he wanted me alive.

I didn't want to be alive. Not at all. You may call me the almighty Perseus Jackson; Hero of Olympus, destroyer of Kronos, slayer of armies, survivor of Tartarus, but to me I was simply a plaything for the Giants. They'd do whatever they wanted to me, and I would be obedient and not resist while they beat me and threw me a round like a doll. That's what I was, a doll. A lifeless, soulless, hopeless thing that you could take your anger out on. What's a doll going to do? Nothing at all.

I snuggled closer to Jason and buried my head into his shoulder. I felt my tears soaking his back and I felt his tears do the same. People always say 'You have so much to live for' or 'Life's worth living.' The problem is that life isn't worth living if you have nothing to live for.

-Ω-

**Frank POV**

Nico and I had let Jason and Percy curl up in the middle. We didn't care if we froze to death; that would be a plus when it came to living here. I could barely open my eyes. I felt Jason's breathing as our backs touched; it was rough and ragged just like everyone else's. All I wanted to do was curl into a ball and die. Hunger gnawed at my insides, but I knew not to get any hope; the guards force-fed us every three days and that includes a drink as well. I know it doesn't sound like such a long time, but its seventy-two hours. Now does it sound like a long time?

My piece of firewood had long since been confiscated and it was now somewhere in the wreckage of the world; collecting dust, since that's pretty much what the world was now. Just scraggly, leafless trees and bushes, dust, rocks, and dirt. A LOT of dirt. They knew that it would never be burned out there, so I could never just have Leo set it on free so I could kill myself.

The cell door squealed and Leo was tossed inside. He landed face-down and the door closed behind him. All of us turned to him and he didn't move. I thought he was dead, because good for him, then. But then he stirred. I knew he was at that excruciatingly frustrating point where you are almost dead but can't quite seem to die. Percy, Jason, Nico, Leo, and I started calling it the Edge. Well Leo was on the Edge and all of us pulled ourselves up using the wall and staggered over to him.

"Tried. Escape. Broke. Legs." He said hoarsely, his voice filled with pain.

"Leo!" Jason sobbed into his hands and his wobbly legs gave way. I tried to help him keep his balance, but I was as weak as he was and we both collapsed. Nico walked up Leo and placed two fingers on his temple. He frowned.

"So close, Leo, but not quite. You're on the Edge." He mumbled. Leo wailed and slammed his fists on the stone floor. He cursed and sobbed and buried his face in his arms.

"SOMEONE BEAT ME TO DEATH!" he screamed. He looked at us with begging eyes. "Please?" he whimpered. It wrenched my heart in two to see his large, brown eyes so full of pain. They had a broken look to them; like shattered glass that would never be put back together again.

"I would if I could, Leo. I'm so weak I doubt I could make you even wince, much less beat you to death." Percy sighed and helped Nico heft him up. Leo screamed, but all of us had had practice blocking screams out and they managed to prop him up against one of the walls.

Nico looked Leo straight in the eyes. In the dark his pale skin looked even paler. I could see the scars that Polybotes had given him through all of the holes he had in his black shirt. "Leo, I'm going to set the bones so that they don't grow back crooked. It's going to hurt." The son of Hades warned.

"NO DON'T SET THEM. I WANT TO DIE. I want to die…" Leo's voice cracked and faded into sobbing.

"It's not going to kill you if they grow in crooked. It'll just give you more time on the Edge and you won't be able to walk." Nico snorted. Jason, who was wiping the last of his tears away with his hand, knelt beside his best friend and held his hand. I could see how tightly Leo was squeezing Jason's hand; the son of Jupiter's fingers were turning purple.

Nico set the first leg, causing Leo to shriek. Jason tensed, but his eyes were shut tight so that he couldn't see Leo's look of agony. Jason's fingers were turning even a deeper shade of purple as Nico set the other leg. Leo continued to scream for a good five minutes after his legs were set, but eventually a worried-looking Jason managed to calm him down.

"Even though I know with all of the stuff that's going on this is going to be impossible; but try not to move your legs too much." Nico advised solemnly. That's when the two Laistrygonian Giants burst into the cell. Leo wailed and the Laistrygonian Giants made scary faces and pretended to lunge at us just to get us scared.

"Boss wants you." One of the big hairy brutes grunted. He didn't point to anyone in particular, so I supposed he meant all of us. I was thankful that I didn't have to go anywhere alone. With my friends, as broken as they were, I still felt protected and safe when I was around them. The other Laistrygonian watched us narrowly as Jason picked Leo up and carried him out of the cell and we followed.

There were only two guards. If we'd been at full strength, we could've taken them out easy. Sadly, between the lack of food and sleep and the torture our powers were weak. I haven't been able to change into an animal, no matter how small, since a week after we arrived in this torture facility. It simply takes too much energy and Jason and Leo haven't been able to conjure a spark of fire or electricity for just as long. Percy and Nico's powers remained dormant, since all the water in this place was enchanted for anti-Poseidon-spawn purposes and the floors were enchanted for anti-Hades-spawn purposes.

The monsters led us along through the underground corridors and onto the first floor. This was the only floor that didn't have a torture waiting for us. It was huge and a dracaene stood behind a desk reading a scroll, her snake-tails-for-feet and mass of snakes for hair wriggling and coiling. Percy had told us that a security guard used to sit there and you'd have to speak with him to get to Olympus, on the six hundredth floor. Unfortunately the security guard was no longer there and the elevators to Olympus were broken and beat-up; for Olympus was destroyed. Now everywhere you went you had to take the stairs.

"Wait." One of the guards grunted. So we did. The dracaene never looked up from her scroll and the Laistrygonian Giants watched us like hawks to see if we'd make any sudden escape attempts. But we were too broken to do that. Besides, where would we escape to? The barren, desolate wasteland that was once Earth? Certainly not. Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood weren't even considered a home anymore. It was simple; there was no escape, even though the doors that led out to the remains of New York City were within sight.

That's when Porphyrion barged in, escorted by two other Laistrygonian Giants, though I doubt that the mighty giant king needed an escort; he had the world at his scaly, reptilian feet and with a flick of his wrist he could destroy it. He was at his peak of power. Gaea ruled by his side and the Giants replaced the Olympians on _their_ Olympus; Mount Terra, though they called it the Capitol. The Capitol was basically the new Olympus, except more evil. Mount Terra lay in Rome; a huge jagged mountain that jutted in the middle of the crumbling ruins. On top was the Capitol; the meeting place of the Giants and Gaea, the throne room to be exact. All of the monster army's generals and commanders lived towards the bottom of Mount Terra so that they could be shadowed by the Capitol.

The Giants had individual palaces, though, and they destroyed their godly counterpart's homes as well; Neptune's (Poseidon, whatever) underwater kingdom was gone and all the other gods' homes were destroyed. Even Mount Orthrys had been demolished, though they still kept Atlas where he was. The titans still roamed the pit to wallow in their failure; the Giants had succeeded and they had not, though some chose to join the Giants' army such as Typhon, Hyperion, and Krios.

"Alright boys, I'm going to make this quick. As a present for my wonderful mother's birthday, I am holding something called the Hunger Games. You'll get to meet your girlfriends again, but sadly you'll have to fight to the death, along with five of some of the demigods who have joined my cause. Only one can be the victor, and they will be living in the lap of luxury, showered with riches and another plus: no torture and you are free to kill yourselves if you'd like. You have to get sponsors, though, because sponsors can pay to have gifts sent to you that just might save your lives. The more sponsors you have, the better." Porphyrion explained to us shortly. "First you have to spend a month in the Districts that we've created, though."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up." Percy made a time-out gesture with his hands.

"So you're saying you're going to throw us into an arena to fight to the death with the people who've become like family along with five other strangers after living in these places for a month that you've created for us." He summed up.

"Pretty much." Porphyrion snorted.

"So no torture in these 'Districts' as you call them?" Percy asked curiously. The son of Poseidon seemed fairly excited despite the fact that he was going to be forced to fight all of us to the death.

"No torture." Porphyrion confirmed. He seemed fairly amused; he had a slight smile playing on his lips. Now I was interested. A place where there's no torture? As a guy who's been basically living a life of torture for a month I was beginning to feel anticipation gnawing at my stomach. It could be the hunger, though. Wait. I made a joke. I actually made a joke.

"Is there food?" Percy asked. I could hear the sound of five stomachs growling loudly at the mention of food.

"I can't promise that." Porphyrion admitted. I didn't care. No torture? Was in. Besides, there still was a chance that there could be food.

"Fine by me." Percy scoffed. "As long as there's no muskeg." He added.

"Any more questions?" Porphyrion asked. Nico raised his hand and Porphyrion pointed to him as if this were a typical school lesson.

"What exactly do we have to do in these Districts and how do we get sponsors?" Nico questioned.

"I'll tell you on the ride." Porphyrion answered, a grin spreading across his features.

"What ride?" All of us asked in unison.


	3. Sorry

I know you were expecting a chapter after the long wait, and I am so sorry for not updating sooner. Please don't kill me, but I'm sorry to say that my computer broke and therefore I won't be able to update. I am writing from my iPad mini and this isn't very comfortable. Until I can get my computer fixed, I won't be updating for a very very long time. I will update as soon as possible when I get my computer fixed, but please stay tuned. YOU ALL ARE SO LUCKY. YOU HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO MAKE UP MORE CHARACTERS, BUT WHEN I POST THE NEXT CHAPTER IT WILL BE DONE.

congratulations to these two users so far. Their characters or at least some of their characters have made it into the PJO Hunger Games:

Cara Ansford submitted by Ellijah

Tetro Valcan and Xavier Wilstoin submitted by Evermyst (though i wished she'd submitted only one character)

There are still slots open! Submit and your character could be on the PJO Hunger Games! (as soon as my computer is fixed)

-iwovepizza


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N) GUESS WHOSE BAAAAACCCCKKKK! SURPRISE BITCHES! (JK sorry) BUT GUESS WHAT THAT MEANS? NO MORE SUBMITTING CHARACTERS! I HAVE ALL THE CHARACTERS I NEED RIGHT HERE. SUCKS 4 U. ANYWAYS, ENJOY THE DAMN CHAPTER!**

**!Warning! **

**_PREPARE FOR MAJOR FEELS AND MAYBE RIPPING APART YOUR OTP._**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or PJO**

Chapter Two: The Districts

**Jason POV**

I've never been in a train before, especially a cool, high-tech bullet train that travels two hundred miles per hour. There is a room in the back of the train where the ceiling and back wall are all windows. You can see where you have travelled and what you've left behind.

I was glad to leave the Great Giant Prison behind. Right when we'd stepped out of those glass doors escorted by guards, we had to do a double take. New York City had been leveled. Pieces of metal and concrete littered the street and you could clearly see straight ahead into the East and Hudson Rivers. The only things that were not destroyed entirely were the Empire State Building and a new sort of railroad that had been erected.

Now we were speeding off to God knows where. The railroad never curved; it plowed through everything. It didn't bother to go around mountains; it went through them. Everything had to move out of the way for this train. I was fascinated, yet I couldn't seem to hold on to the excitement. I was going to have to fight my friends to the death. I was going to have to fight Piper to the death. How was I going to do this? Even more so, how were the Giants going to make us do this? They had five of their lackeys joining the fight, but they couldn't make us fight each other. What if all of the five demigods working for the giants were killed? Then what? Would we just sit there and wait out the battle? I had no idea.

Guards crowded the train, but they gave us some breathing space. Besides, the train was whipping past the scenery at a tremendous speed. There was no way we could escape. To be safe, the train was made of a lightweight but sturdy metal called Imperial Bronze; a mixture of Imperial gold and Celestial bronze, so that nobody could make a hole in the walls. The glass was also bullet-proof yet you could clearly see through it as if there were no windows there at all.

The four of us (Leo was in the infirmary) sat in utter silence in the back room, watching as the trees, rocks, creeks, and fields we passed slowly become farther and farther away. We were probably somewhere in upstate New York, but I had no idea where exactly. I supposed we had just passed the Catskills and were now making our way to the Adirondacks. Everyone's face was solemn, which put a damper on the atmosphere.

Finally, I spoke up, "So are you exited to see the girls again?" I asked no one in particular. There was silence for a long time. All of my friends' eyes were trained outside the window. I understood that after a month of extreme torture they wouldn't want to talk, so I didn't push them.

I was surprised when Percy finally answered, "I'm not sure what to think. I get to see them again…and then we'll have to fight to the death. That's cruel. The Fates are cruel."

"The Fates are dead." Nico reminded Percy in a voice that didn't rise above a low murmur. "The Giants killed them in front of us, remember?" There was another long silence after Nico's remark. This conversation was going nowhere, so I decided to drop it. For the next few hours we watched as trees whipped past us. The Adirondacks passed in a quick flash and we were heading up to Maine.

My stomach growled loudly. Everyone turned to look at me and I shrugged. I was barely able to move, that's how hungry I was. I nearly collapsed when I carried Leo aboard the train. All of a sudden there was a tap on the door. A woman opened up and came in. She was wearing robes with the trademark Giants symbol, two snakes coiled around each other, stitched onto the back with yellow thread.

She did not speak. She simply carried a tray and set five plates down onto the table that resided in the midst of the wrap-around couch we were sitting on. Without a word she walked out and disappeared just as quickly as she had come. We all stared at the plates. Each had a stack of pancakes on them that came with maple syrup and some orange juice. We exchanged a look and wasted no time in claiming a plate.

"Is this real?" I muttered around mouthfuls of pancakes that were drenched in sugary syrup. I washed it all down with a swig of orange juice and laughed for the first time in a month. Everyone was gorging, except for Nico, who was picking at his food; eating small bites, not using a lot of syrup, and taking small sips of his orange juice. The others seemed to notice this, too.

"C'mon, you're bone-thin. After a month of starving you can't resume your whole I'm-going-to-take-one-bite-and-that'll-be-my-meal-for-the-day diet. You need to fatten up. You know you're hungry, Nico." Frank chided playfully.

"Yeah, but after a month of starving if you eat too much you'll throw up." Nico snorted. Then I felt the food rising up to my throat. I grabbed the garbage pail and unceremoniously threw up, with Percy and Frank following my lead.

"So about these Hunger Games…" Nico began when we'd finished hurling. All of a sudden, that woman who had brought us the food reappeared. Without a word she collected our empty plates and picked up the trash can full of regurgitation and carried it out, disappearing once more. All four of us exchanged looks. How come she didn't speak or complain? Was she a maid of some sort?

"Guys, listen." Percy suddenly said. His round, green eyes were trained on his hands. They looked so sad and full of pain. I couldn't blame him. Percy continued, "If…if any of you and I are the last two standing…you…you have to kill me. I…I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I was living in luxury because I killed you. If anyone is to die, it's going to be me. I will sacrifice my life to protect you all. **(A/N: Just a shout out to Olympus97, who helped me get back on track with the whole "Percy will do anything for his friends" thing. Thanks Olympus97!) **I can't have you dying. I wouldn't be able to cope if I killed any of you." He explained.

Naturally, there was an uproar.

"We can't have you dying, Percy! Just think how devastated we would be if you died!" I found myself shouting.

"We have to work together to win this! In the end if we're forced to fight, then SCREW EVERYTHING! We can just refuse to fight and the Capitol won't be able to make us fight!" Frank insisted.

"Percy, your life is valuable! No matter how much that torture hurt, life is worth living, and I'm the son of freaking Hades! Don't let your fatal flaw get to you!" Nico cried. All of a sudden the room quieted when we saw silent tears streaming down Percy's face. We'd yelled at him, all because he was trying to tell us he'd protect us. I felt horrible. I was about as good as being a friend as Polybotes would be to Poseidon; totally awesome at pure suck.

Percy tucked his legs against his chest and began sobbing. I was devastated when I realized that I was partially the reason he was crying. I usually never saw Percy cry; when we'd fought on the Argo together he'd never shed a tear and in the Great Giant Prison his face would always be hidden in the dark. I'd never actually seen him cry, and I have to tell you it is the most awful sight you will ever see.

"Percy…I'm sorry." I pleaded, and Nico and Frank added their apologies to mine, but the son of Poseidon continued to cry. His shoulders shook and his hands trembled as sounds of pure misery escaped his mouth. Nico sat next to him and wrapped his arms around Percy. He didn't complain and buried his head into Nico's shoulder. I caught a glimpse of my once-triumphant and unbreakable friend's face; his eyes were bloodshot and puffy and his nose was red. He looked so miserable I wanted to grab the nearest knife, stab everyone, and then stab myself to put us out of our misery.

Nico made a vain effort to console him, but Percy only responded with a soft whimper that would make anyone's heart tear in half. If things couldn't get any worse, Porphyrion barged in. He saw the pitiful scene before him, threw back his head, and laughed. It was an awful sound; one that showed no mercy and had no innocence that completely contrasted with Percy's quiet crying.

"Well I see you demigods get a bit…emotional." He chuckled. We glared at him and Percy looked up from Nico's shoulder. He sniffed and covered his face with his hands. Porphyrion cleared his throat. "Anyway, we should be arriving at the Districts shortly. My five followers and your girl friends are all arriving on different trains. You'll have your reunion, blah, blah, blah and then we'll put you in the Districts. Each District is in the shape of a square, with each side being as long as the average city block. You will work there for a month or so; selling what your District has most of. Three-fourths of all the resources you collect have to be given to us and the rest you can use for yourself. You can sell it for money to buy items from other Districts or you can trade it as well. In your isolation you must collect up to one hundred drachmas from either people from other Districts or from us to qualify for the Hunger Games, or else you will be sent back to the Great Giant Prison to suffer a painful, slow, terrible death.

"We have provided houses with electrical lighting and no furniture; nothing else is provided except for the land from which you are to live off of. Here are your assigned Districts: Percy Jackson is going to District 4, with the main resource of fishing, which should come easy to you. Jason Grace, to District 5 with the main resource of electrical power, again it comes easy. Nico di Angelo with District 12, coal mining, which should give you a bit of a challenge. Frank Zhang is assigned to District 10, with livestock, again a bit of a challenge. I have to inform Leo Valdez that he will be working in District 3 with the production of electronics, another easy one." Porphyrion explained.

"So basically we are doing forced labor to provide you and your sickly family with stuff that you can't make yourselves?" Percy snapped. I was glad he was back to his old self, but his eyes were still red from crying. Then again he was insulting the king of the giants, or more known as the King of the World, the Earth Shaker, and other mysterious, creepy titles.

Porphyrion growled, a low rumble in his throat. All of us shrank back. He could whip us or beat us or worse; put us on the Edge, and we'd be powerless to stop him. "You should learn some respect, sea spawn." He snarled. Percy nodded and closed his mouth. From here I could see my friend trembling. His green eyes were round and terrified. I hated seeing Percy like this; I couldn't do anything to help him whatsoever. I was just as scared and powerless as he was.

"So how do we get sponsors?" Nico dared to ask after a log silence. He most likely wasn't pleased with the fact that he was going to be coal mining for a month, but he didn't voice his opinion; when you're a Giant's prisoner, you learn to definitely not voice your beliefs because as your captor would say, "Nobody cares what you think."

"Well, while you're in the Districts, you are constantly being monitored by invisible cameras. This footage will be aired on live TV, each of you get your own channel, where all of our viewers can watch you and eventually fall in love and if they are rich enough, they will sponsor you. You can earn sponsors that way, or if you're not too popular, you can make yourself popular at the Opening Ceremony or the Talk Show.

"Before the Opening Ceremony you'll get a stylist, preferably a daughter of Aphrodite or Venus from one of the camps. They will design clothes for you that represent your godly parent and will be over-the-top. They'll style your hair, blah, blah, blah. You'll be paraded out on chariots down a long pathway that leads up to my personal palace, with stands on either side so everyone can see you.

"You can also express your personality at the Talk Show with Caesar, the actual Julius Caesar whom we have brought from the dead to host the Talk Show. Caesar will ask you questions, let you show of your new outfit that your stylist has made for you. This will be in front of a live audience and broadcasted on TV. You can either get love from your backstory or from your humor, you can even get sponsors from your pairings and the pair with the most sponsors is immediately called the 'Star-Crossed Lovers.'

"After all that, you will be given a month of tough training and getting allies and making enemies, then the games will begin. Goodbye for now, buys. I have to give Leo Valdez the news." As Porphyrion paraded out the woman came back in. Porphyrion glared at her and muttered, "Stupid Avox." He purposely tripped her with his dragon feet and she nearly dropped the tray, which housed china cups and a steaming tea pot full of, you guessed it, tea.

She didn't complain or even look angry for that matter; wordlessly she set the cups down on the table and poured us some tea, handing a cup to each of us. When she gave me my cup I said, "Thank you." She didn't respond; she only smiled and walked out with the tray. I watched the door close behind her. Porphyrion had called her an Avox. She had the aura of a demigod, but for some reason she didn't speak. What could possibly be wrong? I had yet to find out.

The four of us sat in relative silence; watching the scenery fade behind us. We didn't talk, only thought about what lay ahead of us. I would've been excited to reunite with Piper, but I wasn't. I knew we'd be expected to fight to the death in an arena. The situation was so utterly hopeless it was almost funny. Everyone turned to me with questioning looks on their faces, but I waved them off. The tea was incredible and I took small sips so I wouldn't throw up. I wondered how they made stuff this good. Then again, it was the new Giant Age, so technically anything was possible.

"I can't do this." I finally spoke up. "I can't just be reunited with my girlfriend and then be torn apart all over again just so I can fight in some dumb arena. None of us deserve this."

"No shiz, Sherlock. The Giants will be Giants and what they say goes. We can do nothing. They are Giants. We are demigods who have been tortured for a month and are about to fight to the death with each other. Who do you think could possibly win?" Nico scoffed, though there wasn't really any hostility behind it…or humor, for that matter.

"The Giants." I replied sadly.

"That's what I thought. Hey, the train is slowing down. I think we're here." Nico exclaimed as the train slowed to a stop.

-Ω-

**Nico POV**

I was dreading this reunion. I really was. Everyone would go into an all-out make-out session while I sat aside awkwardly. I'd rather just get to District 12 and start working. Work would get my mind off of all of this horrible stuff, but sadly that was not the case as the train pulled into the station. There were no people waiting on the platforms, so I figured that it was some sort of private train station.

The four of us crowded to one of the many doors on the train. Leo was wheeled out of a nearby room, which I assumed was the infirmary, in a wheelchair by that woman that didn't talk. I didn't really mind her, but then again she didn't talk and did all of these favors for us; how could I _not _like her? I was worried for Leo. If he couldn't work, he couldn't earn drachmas and therefore the Giant would kill him. Even if developing electronics only required his hands, what if Leo's legs didn't heal by the time the Hunger Games started? He'd be a goner. All of these thoughts rattled inside my skull as the doors opened up.

All of us stepped over the gap and onto the platform. There were four pillars, two on each platform that held up the ceiling. Most of the station was made of iron, but the roof was glass and showed the blue sky and the occasional cloud. I gawked at it; it was simply beautiful compared to our cells back at the Great Giant Prison. My staring was interrupted by Porphyrion, who squeezed out of the opening, which was fairly large.

"All right, move!" he bellowed and shoved us towards some steps that led off of the platforms. I was nervous to meet the girls again; what if they'd changed during their time at Gaea's palace as the Earth Mother's servants? Would they be colder and more self-centered? Even worse, would they be insane or even…dead? The five of us trudged (and rolled, if you counted the fact that Leo was in a wheelchair) down the steps. I got a glimpse of what was beyond. Most would expect trees and mountains up here in what was probably Maine. Wrong.

Everything had been leveled. Barren wasteland stretched out in all directions and the sun beat down on our backs mercilessly. Whenever the dry wind blew, which was never in the form of a gentle breeze; only violent gusts, dust and grit went airborne and got into your eyes, nose, and mouth, while stinging every exposed piece of skin. I could see tumbleweeds rolling lazily along and scraggly bushes sprouted here and there. That was pretty much it, except for the cobblestone path that wound its way to a distant building.

Of course, we had to shamble down that damn road to get to the freaking building. The hike was unbearable; we were drenched in sweat as the sun blinded us and began to burn our skin. I groaned, but one of the guards thwacked the back of my head and told me to shut the hell up. Of course, I obeyed their orders. I remembered when I raised the dead with Diocletian's scepter. I'd felt so alive and powerful as I saw the dead crawling from the pit. Now I couldn't so much as shadow travel anymore. Even if I did muster enough energy, I wouldn't be able to shadow travel very far; maybe a few feet at most.

I shot Percy a worried look as the son of Poseidon broke out into a fit of coughing. I knew he was sick. He'd been coughing like that for five days now and I knew he'd somehow caught a sickness from being in those cells for so long. I didn't know whether it was from the mold that grew on the walls or because of the torture, but I knew that he wouldn't stop coughing from time to time. I was extremely anxious about him. He couldn't die slowly like that; it was an awful way to die, even worse than starving to death.

Don't hate me when I say this, but I haven't told Percy how I feel yet, and I'm surprised he hasn't figured it out yet. Who can blame me? I couldn't necessarily come out to Percy during the month when we were tortured; I didn't want Percy to pity me since he had enough on his mind already. I'd hold his hand in that cell and comfort him while he was crying. He'd even scream in his sleep and I'd wrap my arms around him and he'd quiet down and snuggle into my chest. I wished he would've done that for real and not just because he needed to be consoled. Jason would keep Leo and Frank from interrupting and I owed the son of Jupiter big time. I wondered when I should tell him that I was gay. There seemed to be no possible good times to say it. I'd have to find out later, because we'd arrived at the building.

From afar it seemed quite small, but up close the walls towered above us. They were made of iron like the train station, and the sun shining on it made the shiny surface blind us. I didn't dare touch them for fear I'd burn myself and that would suck ass. Two Earthborn stood guard on either side of the huge glass double doors and all six of their hands had either knives or swords in them. They were decked in full battle rumor that must've been tremendously hot, but they didn't seem to care.

The guards looked down at us with angry eyes as we entered; Porphyrion and his escort bringing up the rear. I was dazzled at the amazing architecture; Greek columns line the walls and helped hold up the roof and intricate carvings of monsters were engraved in the walls. The floor was made of pure gold like the columns and a roaring fireplace stood in the main commons area. The only other rooms were the bathrooms and a 'Giants only' room. A huge wrap-around couch made a semicircle in front of the hearth and to my surprise, it was occupied.

As we entered, the figures turned around and I sucked in a breath. Staring at us were Annabeth, Piper, and Hazel. My legs finally gaze way and I crumbled to the ground. Percy staggered a bit and had to lean on Jason for support, but both were incredibly weak. Frank's face was a mask, but you could see right through it I you looked into his eyes; amazement, happiness, pain, and a sort of broken look. I struggled to my knees as the three girls came racing over, crying and calling our names. The guards stalked over to the wall so we could reunite and Porphyrion and his escort disappeared into the 'Giants only' room.

"Nico, you poor thing! Frank, what have they done?" Hazel sobbed and gathered both of us into an extremely tight bear hug. Tears streamed down all of our faces as we greeted each other after a month of separation. Annabeth tackled Percy and they began to kiss passionately; pulling one another so close that I thought they were going to melt into each other to form one person. Piper had Jason pinned against the wall and they were both kissing just as fiercely as Percy and Annabeth were, but Piper broke away from Jason to comfort Leo, who was still in the wheelchair. The wordless woman, or as Porphyrion had called her, the Avox, had disappeared, but Piper took up the duty to wheel Leo around.

We all gathered into a group hug, with Leo and me in the center and just laughed. It felt good to laugh again. I had had no idea how much I missed the girls, but I laughed along with tears still trickling down my cheeks. Finally we broke away. Thankfully, nobody asked how the past month had gone; it had probably been equally torturous for both the boys and the girls. We all sat down on the couch and the couples began making out passionately while I sat on the end with Leo and we watched awkwardly.

"So, Death Breath. Sup?" Leo tried to begin a conversation to drown out the sound of kissing.

-Ω-

**Percy POV**

**(A/N: Sorry I am horrible at doing the girls' POV even though I am, in fact, a girl. This story will only be narrated by guys with some exceptions. They are all scarred from serving Gaea; they were beaten and had to serve meals, wash dishes, care for Gaea and the Giants without a word or else they would be lashed, blah, blah, blah.)**

I had greatly missed the warm, tingling feeling of Annabeth's lips on mine and I hugged her close to my chest and she ran her hands through my hair and tousled it into even more of a disarray. I felt her pleasurable warmth against mine and her heart, which was hammering against her chest. I put my hands on her hips, a spot where I knew she was ticklish, and she chuckled softly. I parted my lips slightly and her tongue invaded my mouth. We parted only to breathe and for this moment, only Annabeth and I existed. The rest of the world had melted into the background and we just sat together, kissing. No words even ha to be said.

_I missed you._

_I missed you too. _

Finally she broke away and simply lay her head on my shoulder, burying her face into my neck. She wrapped her arms around my midsection and I hugged her even closer. Her tears wet my skin and I whispered words of encouragement into her ear, stroking her long blonde hair. I got a glimpse of Jason and Piper, who were still kissing like no tomorrow and Leo and Nico, who were trying to make small talk while stealing glances at us. They must've felt like they were invading a private meeting, but they belonged here as much as we did. Hazel and Frank were talking, but I doubt that they could take their conversation too seriously since every once in a while the discussion would turn into a hardcore make-out session.

"I missed you, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth murmured.

"I missed you more, Wise Girl." I whispered.

"I missed you most." She replied. There was a long silence and we just sat there cuddling. I knew that I had to protect everyone, no matter what the cost. I would not, could not, win the Hunger Games. I would be lost in grief, even if I would be my own person and showered with riches and food; none of that mattered if your friends weren't there to enjoy it with you. I was so deep in thought that I nearly ignored Annabeth's question.

"Percy?" Annabeth said seriously.

"Yeah?" I replied distantly, but I finally reeled myself in and concentrated on what Annabeth was saying. God damn you ADHD.

"What did I just say?" she asked indignantly and crossed her arms, though her stormy grey eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Um…I'm a Seaweed Brain?" I dared to say. She laughed, a sound that usually would cheer anyone up, no matter how much they've been through or how gloomy they were. But this time it seemed very strained, as if she'd forced the laugh out just to make me feel better for some reason. I wondered what was bothering her, but then again she just spent a month as one of Gaea's handmaidens; how could she _not_ have something bothering her? Still, it was my duty as her boyfriend to help her in some way. I began to ask her what was wrong, but she cut me off.

"Everything is fine. It's just that…I think we need some space." Annabeth said quietly. _I think we need some space. _The words echoed over and over inside my mind. That was a break-up line. I was sure of it.

"Space?" I asked, astonished. My voice quivered as I said it and I felt my eyes glaze over. I blinked back the tears. I was not going to cry; after all I've been through I was _not _going to cry.

"It's not that I don't like you. I love you Percy. It's just that…when times were rough you weren't there for me." Annabeth explained. Her voice was soft and soothing, as if she were talking to a spooked animal. That only made things worse.

"I wasn't there for you." I repeated and my voice cracked. I furiously wiped at my eyes.

"You weren't. When I needed you most you weren't there." All of my sorrow turned into rage.

"I wasn't there!?" I bellowed. Annabeth shrank back and I saw tears began to stream down her face.

"Percy please it's not like that!" she sobbed and tried to put her hand on my shoulder, but I slapped it away.

"I couldn't be there! I was suffering just as much as you, and in that case YOU weren't there for ME! How do you think I could've been there!? Huh!? DO YOU NEED A BOYFRIEND WHO CAN MAGICALLY TELEPORT TO YOU AND GIVE YOU COMFORT!? I FELL INTO TARTARUS FOR YOU!" I screamed and stood up. I clenched my fists and tears trickled down my cheeks. I made no attempt to wipe them away.

"Percy, please-" Annabeth had collected herself and was now trying to console me with a poker face.

"JUST SAY IT ANNABETH. TELL ME HOW YOU TRULY FEEL!" I screeched. I wanted to punch someone…namely Annabeth. I wanted someone else to feel pain for a change. It wasn't fair my life was so miserable. It was never fair.

"Fine, we're breaking up. I hate you. I've always hated you. I'm surprised you actually thought I loved you. You always threw yourself into danger like a retard. I have no idea how I could love someone who was stupid as you. Goodbye, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth retaliated and stalked off to the girls' bathroom, probably to sulk. Her words were quiet, but they were as cold as ice and sharp as a sword. Even if she used the term Seaweed Brain, it sounded harsh, more like an insult than a playful nickname.

I stumbled back, clutching my heart as if she'd impaled me. I realized that everyone was staring at me, their eyes wide with shock.

"Jerk." Piper grumbled. Jason turned on her, his mouth agape.

"It wasn't Percy's fault! It was that whore Annabeth!" he spat.

"Whatever. I'm off to comfort Annabeth. She deserves comforting unlike him." Piper made a swatting motion in my direction and ran after my ex-girlfriend, calling her name. I was stunned I took a deep breath and collapsed onto the floor, where I tucked my legs against my chest. Sobs racked my body and I felt comforting hands patting my back and words of encouragement.

"What has happened to the other girls?" I heard Frank ask Hazel worriedly. There was no reply, but I didn't bother to look up. My life was worthless. I couldn't just lose Annabeth and get over it. That was something you could never fix. It was like she tore a piece of my heart out and left with it.

"Don't listen to those bitches." Surprised, I looked up to see Nico, his brows furrowed and his mouth contorted into a scowl. "They shouldn't treat you like that." I could only nod in reply. We were interrupted by a throaty bellow.

"Alrighty ladies and gents, times up; it's time for you guys to be shipped off to the Districts!" Porphyrion announced as he stepped out of the 'Giants only' room with his escort. All of a sudden an immense pain flared up in my arm and everything went black.

-Ω-

**Jason POV**

I woke up with ringing in my ears. I was in a large clearing of some sort. There was grass and trees; which surprised me since there were barely any trees left. I stilled myself; a trick I learned in the legion. I listened closely for anything that might be a danger or that could help me. I heard the faint sound of running water, fresh water if I was correct. I opened my eyes and slowly stood. My stomach rumbled in complaint, but I didn't really care; this was District 5, who knows how much danger there might be nearby and I didn't want my stomach giving me away. I stalked towards the sound of water, which seemed to becoming from right behind the tree line. As soon as I stepped into the wooded area hands seized me. I screamed and thrashed, but the grip was like iron.

A blindfold was slipped over my eyes and a gag muffled my cries. My hands were bound behind my back and my feet were tied together in a flash. This was the fastest time someone has restrained me. Then again, I was a tortured, malnourished kid who was against some of Gaea's minions. There really wasn't a contest. My captors dragged me away from the sound of water and deeper into the forest. I squirmed with all of my might, but a month of torture didn't help with my strength. Finally I went limp. There was a grunt and my captors picked me up. I didn't struggle. All I could see was white fabric as they carried me away.

Finally the sound of leaves and earth crunching under their feet turned into the sound of creaking floorboards. A door slammed with the squeal of heavily rusted hinges and I jerked in my captors' arms, causing them to fumble their hold on me. One of them tensed, as if they were about to hit me. I waited for the pain to come; it would be nothing compared to the torture I experienced in the Great Giant Prison. Surprisingly I didn't feel the stinging pain of a palm on pare skin. There was nothing. My side quivered while I waited for them to do something to me. I hoped they got on with it; waiting while blindfolded was worse than the actual hit itself.

"Look, Joe Bob; he knows you're gonna hit him. Poor thing." One of my captors crooned. His accomplice, Joe Bob, tensed even more.

"He tried to escape, Skull Eater. We should beat him. If Marrow Sucker was here, he would agree." he grunted. I had a vague sense of déjà vu. I felt like Skull Eater, Marrow Sucker, and Joe Bob were the names of some of the monsters Percy faced…but which type of monster?

"C'mon." Skull Eater complained. "The damn rusted door just spooked him. Leave 'em be."

Their voices were fairly deep and gruff, but I had no idea how a person's voice could be that low. Or maybe it wasn't a person. What monster was big and sounded gruff? My captors were fairly hairy, too. Big, gruff, hairy. All of those character traits led to one conclusion; Laistrygonian Giants. Damn, I hated those things. They always delivered the worst blows when they'd torture us. It wasn't the worst of the tortures, though.

Skull Eater and Joe Bob dumped me on a cold, metal floor. This was confusing, since I swore I heard the sound of floorboards creaking. The gag was removed first and I immediately spouted curses at them and began to scream bloody murder.

"Listen, kid. Do you want us to put the gag back on?" Skull Eater, who I'd thought was on my side, threatened. I had no idea where the voice was coming from. Everything was so confusing when you couldn't see, but I shut my mouth. The Laistrygonian Giants finally removed my blindfold after arguing for a long time. I was in some sort of room that was cut off from the rest of a wooden house. The walls behind me were made of steel and so was the floor. The other walls that faced inside the house were made of glass. I doubted that it was regular glass; it was barely transparent and had a dark sheen to it; bulletproof glass.

They didn't remove the ropes that bound my hands behind my back but they did take off the ropes that tied my ankles together. I shot to my feet as the two monsters walked out of the room and closed the door, which was made of glass too, behind them. That's when I saw all the cords and wires that connected my cell to a huge generator in the middle of the room. What were they going to do to me? Electrocution wouldn't work on me, so what was the generator for?

One of the giants, Joe Bob, walked up to the glass. I glared at him but said nothing. "Okay, kid. We are your Peacekeepers we make sure you're doing your job and not doing anything funky. You hear me? Here's how it works." Joe Bob explained and pressed a button on the generator. A little panel in the wall slid open to reveal metal that was twisted into five little circles. "You slide your fingers, doesn't matter whether on the left or the right, into these holes and we press this button…"

"You need to untie me." I said flatly.

"I was getting to that!" Joe Bob snarled. He turned to his companion. "Skull Eater, go untie him. And I want no hazards between you and the kid. We have orders to beat him if he does anything out of sorts."

I gulped as Skull Eater grudgingly lumbered into my cell thing and untied me. I wanted to punch him in the face or electrocute him, but A) I was too weak to produce even a spark and B) I would get beaten. Instead I calmly folded my hands into my lap and watched as Skull Eater rejoined Joe Bob. I turned to the little contraption and slipped my fingers into it. It felt like brass knuckles, except way thinner. I could feel the wires going through it, ready to transmit an electrical charge. What was going to happen?

"Alright, kiddo. Do your thing. There's no power anywhere now and you have to get it going." Joe Bob instructed.

"What?" I asked and raised my eyebrows.

"You know, your electric-y powers. Use 'em." Joe Bob said and made an ushering motion with his hands. He seemed to be losing his patience.

"I can't." I replied.

"Well why the hell not?" Joe Bob snarled

"I'm too weak." I squeaked. I was terrified; if I couldn't use my powers I wouldn't get enough money to get into the Hunger Games. If I didn't get into the Hunger Games…Ugh that was a thought that wasn't supposed to be remembered.

"JUST DO IT." Joe Bob bellowed and slammed his fist against the glass. I jumped and all of a sudden electricity sparked on my fingers. The generator began to hum only for a second and then it fell silent again. My two Peacekeepers turned to each other and huge grins spread across their features.

That was when the torture began. I wasn't really torture, though; Porphyrion lived up to his promise that there wasn't any torture allowed in the Districts. They scared me half to death, whether it be all of a sudden jumping at me or putting me under and feeding me horrible dreams. The generator hummed to life and stayed like that; a sound that would haunt me forever as I screamed and screamed.

-Ω-

**Leo POV**

As it turned out; I didn't need legs to get the job done. I almost enjoyed my time in District 3, since I was doing what I loved most. Bu there was the fact that two Cyclopes, who called themselves my Peacekeepers, were watching me with hawk eyes as I worked. That was creepy. Besides that, there was no electricity. The lights were off and torches lined the walls. They didn't offer much light and I mainly had to work in the dark. Not that it mattered, though. After a few hours I'd produced five IPads, three Nintendo 3Ds', and several IPod Touches. I wanted to charge them, but there was no power. I was just about to ask the Peacekeepers to turn on the lights when they flickered once.

I looked around. There wasn't a light switch in sight and the Peacekeepers didn't seem at all concerned. Finally the lights switched on permanently. I shrugged and resumed my work. This was going to be much more fun than the Great Giant Prison.

-Ω-

**Nico POV**

Really? It had to be mining!? Out of all things it just _had_ to be coal mining. Porphyrion probably knew my fear of caves and caverns after that little Tartarus incident, and he just had to put me in the coal mining District because it was so funny to him. It wasn't funny to me; I was scared out of my mind! The feeling of falling into the darkness weighed on my stomach and I shuddered as I remembered the day I fell. The gruesome sights. The monsters. The horror. I shook my head clear and tried to focus on the task at hand; getting money to enter the Hunger Games…not that I wanted to enter the Hunger Games, but it was better than the alternative.

My Peacekeepers, who were two heavily-armed dracaene, had told me that the coal I produced would be used to power the generator that helped Jason generate electricity and to power all of the monster homes that still used fossil fuels. The profit would be split between us, but I doubt Jason knew that. My Peacekeepers dropped me by the house that was provided. There was a small bed and a fridge, a toilet, a sink, a metal tub that had to be manually filled in the sink, a few plates, and a shelf that housed everything I would need as a coal miner; a yellow hard hat with a light on the front that switched on and off, gloves, boots, a pickaxe, matches, work pants, a vest, a long-sleeved shirt, a lunch box that had been pre-packed with a tuna sandwich (Porphyrion also must've known how much I hated tuna), and twelve boxes of baby wipes.

I wriggled into my work clothes, which were very small on me, and opened the door. District 12 was mostly wooded, but in one of the far corners there was a little meadow with a small creek snaking through it. You could see the meadow through the boughs of the large pines and oaks, way off in the distance. I took a deep breath and wondered if I'd ever breathe air this clean again; with all of the coal mine accidents I've heard of, coal mining must be dangerous.

I hefted my pickaxe over one shoulder and marched down the cobblestone path that led to the elevator that would take me down into the mine. I approached the door and took a deep breath. _This isn't Tartarus. This isn't Tartarus. _I repeated over and over in my mind. I closed the gate and jabbed my finger on the button. Gears began to turn and metal began to grind, making my ears hurt, but I knew I'd get used to it. Finally the elevator began to descend hundreds of feet down into the darkness.

-Ω-

**Frank POV**

"Moo." Said Bessie as she butted me with her horns. Great. I've been here for what, an hour? And I was already naming the animals. I was stuck in District 10, the freaking _livestock _District! Just because I can turn into animals doesn't mean I want to be in the livestock District. My ability did help, though. I'd turn into a sheepdog and herd the animals into tightly knit groups throughout the rolling hills of the District.

Sheep on one end, pigs on another end, and cows on another. In an hour I'd have to shave all of the sheep in the huge barn that had been provided, where all the animals would have to stay in for the night. The barn was also where I lived; the loft had been turned into a living area with a bed of straw and wool, a sink, a fridge, and, sadly, there was an outhouse just outside the barn doors. Damn. Another downside is that I'd have to slaughter some of the pigs soon, and milk the cows, and scatter hay, and clean the stables, AND A BUNCH OF OTHER GOD DAMN STUFF. This was going to be the worst thing that has ever happened to me in my life.

I decided that Bessie would be my companion. I wouldn't slaughter her or milk her, just let her be my pet. She mooed again and the cow bell around her neck jangled and she shook her head free of flies.

I patted her nose and scratched her behind her ears. Sadly, cows didn't smell very good and I knew I'd have to take a bath in the lake before I went to bed since THERE WAS NO FREAKING SHOWER OR BATHTUB.

"C'mon, Bessie." I grumbled and led the cow back to the barn. She mooed again and began to nibble at my hair. Ugh, this was going to be a long month.

-Ω-

**Percy POV**

I cast the line out onto the lake and it sunk into the water. The sound of small waves crashing on the shore of the tiny island nearby calmed me. I was so depressed; I was going to have to fight to the death and would not survive, my friends were in trouble, and most of all Annabeth broke up with me. I stared at the bobber as it danced on the surface and dipped with the passing currents. Anticipation churned in my stomach as the bobber swirled in the water. I needed to be patient; if you were fidgety, the fish could sense it and they wouldn't take the bait. I relaxed and watched intently as the water slurped at the sides of my pale white rowboat.

There were a lot of fish in this pond and I'd already caught a bucketful of them. Sadly I had to block out their cries that included: _"Master! What are you doing? NOOOO!" _The lake was calm and I heard the sweet sensation of waves lapping at the shores. This was peace. I loved it. My house was a rundown ramshackle made of rotting wooden boards. Most of District 4 was lake and the only land was a tiny island that accommodated my house and the long pier where plenty of mint-condition rowboats had been previously docked.

I felt a jerk on my line and I reeled it in slowly. My fishing pole dipped and I yanked upwards. I large fish, I'm not sure which type it was, was flung onto the deck and began to flop around. I grabbed it and stabbed it with a small knife that had been in my house. It went limp in my hands and I tossed it into the bucket with the other fish. The sun illuminated the electrified razor-wired fence that enclosed the District. I could only see all four sides of the District since there weren't any trees to block my way; it was generously big and I couldn't complain at the least.

The sun finally touched the horizon after another hour and painted the sky with streaks of red yellow and orange. The full moon began to crawl high into the sky slowly and steadily as the sun dipped below and disappeared behind the rolling hills beyond the fence. Nightfall drew near and my Peacekeepers, two empousai, had told me that there was a curfew of 8:30 pm. If I didn't get to bed, the punishment was a good beating. It was time to get back. I dipped my knife into the water to wash all of the fish blood off of it and stuck it into my pocket. I grabbed both of the wooden oars and began to row home, the sound of water lapping at the sides of my boat lulling me into an even more peaceful state of mind.

-Ω-

**Hazel POV**

I sat crisscross applesauce on the crest of the hill and concentrated. There were more gems and jewels under these hills than I'd ever dreamed of. With concentration and deep breaths I summoned a huge chunk of gold from the earth and countless other chunks joined it. I scooped them all up and tossed them into the hole that I'd dug to keep the precious metals and gems until my Peacekeepers, two ram-horned centaurs (who the Greeks claimed were nothing like Chiron), picked them up and sold them to the monsters and the Giants as jewelry and decoration.

This came easy to me and I summoned more and more gemstones and metals until I was in the midst of a heap of riches. I sighed and flicked my wrist, causing all of the jewels, crystals, gems, and precious metals to be flung into the super-deep hole. I smiled when I envisioned my Peacekeepers trying to haul all of it out; some of the chunks weighed several tons and were as tall as my stupid log cabin that I lived in. There were still much more riches under the earth for me to excavate with my curse, but I decided to lay off; all of these treasures needed to last me a month or else I'd be bored out of my mind.

I looked at the hole, which was so deep my pile of raw materials didn't even come close to the top, and wondered whether I should give up or not. I didn't want to kill my friends. I really didn't. _But is giving up worth suffering a slow death? _A voice chided in my mind. I realized that it wasn't worth it; I shouldn't give up. Ever. For Frank. For Nico. For the others. With that thought in mind I held my head high and marched back to my house as the sun began to set.

-Ω-

**Annabeth POV**

Percy was not for me. He wasn't. I know you're going to hate me when I say this, but Percy is a retard and I never want to see him again. All those times when he saved the world and nearly gave me a heart attack were catching up to me. He put the world and his friends first. But what about me? _Noooo_ he had to save the world first before taking me out on a date. Now his efforts were for nothing. He should've forgotten the world and spent more time with me.

I channeled all of my anger towards Percy as I wove my newest tapestry, which I called "_The Sea Spawn's Anger." _It depicted Percy summoning the wave of poison towards Akhlys. That was the moment I knew I had to break up with him; he was a loose cannon. If he got angry he could cause destruction beyond belief and I didn't want that to be the case when it came to having a boyfriend. I sighed. All of my thoughts were befuddled because of Percy. I needed to clear my mind.

I looked around my fairly nice, one-floor house. It was painted a shade of blue, which reminded me of how Percy was obsessed with blue food…NO. _Don't think about Percy. Don't think about Percy. _I thought over and over again in my mind. Of course, I thought about Percy. I messed up the tapestry and had to unweave a huge chunk of it. Now it looked like Percy was a floating head. Ugh, I couldn't get Percy out of my head! Knowing that I couldn't fight the memories, I let my mind wander.

A picture that hung on one of the walls showed two old-timey people kissing on the deck of a ship. Percy and I kissed on the Argo like that. A tear trickled down my cheek. Was that what I should've done? Was it right to dump him? I shook my head clear of these thoughts; I was happy without Percy and I shouldn't be pitying him. This was the hardest part of a break-up; the 'should-I-go-back' stage. It usually wears off the more that the couple is separated, but in the back of my mind I knew that I would never get over Percy.

To take my mind off of things, I began to weave faster than I've ever woven before; even faster than when I had to weave a way across that hole to get away from the spiders while following the Mark of Athena. Gosh, that seemed so long ago. Now the Athena Parthenos was melted down into nothing. My mother and her children's pride and joy was nothing but scrap metal now.

I choked back a sob and continued to weave. _I'll get over him. Eventually. _I told myself as I worked.

-Ω-

**Piper POV**

I hacked away at the stupid wheat with a long, curved sickle. The stems snapped as soon as the blade connected with them. I had been hunched over harvesting for hours now. It was downright awful, almost as awful as the fact that Jason had stuck up for Percy back at the reunion. Seriously, was my boyfriend so blind he couldn't see that Annabeth was the victim? Gosh, he could be so thick-headed sometimes. Maybe he got hit in the head with a brick too many times.

I muttered curses as I hacked away at the wheat. The sun beat down mercilessly and it was so damn hot even though it was almost sunset. I wondered about the Hunger Games. I wouldn't be able to kill my friends, much less kill any demigods for that matter. What if Jason died? I wouldn't be able to live with myself. If we didn't kill each other, though, the Giants' lackeys would. They would mercilessly impale Jason with a spear and leave his body draped over a branch like a used towel and certainly strangle her, no matter how hard she tried to charmspeak them out of it.

A soft breeze ruffled my hair and eased me of the scorching heat. I looked up to see that the sky was streaked with red, orange, and yellow, as if a painter had come and made his masterpiece on the sky. I sucked in a breath as a cloud that looked oddly like an eagle passed overhead. That just made my heart ache. I wanted Jason back; not in the arena as an opponent but living normally together as a boyfriend. _Or maybe even a husband. _I thought hopefully.

What will happen in the games? I have no idea and as I sat there staring at the sky all I could picture was Jason's face smiling at me. Would the Giants really take my boyfriend away from me? I doubted they'd have mercy. Then again, only time will tell.


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N) So yeah. No more submitting characters. Too bad, so sad. Get ready to meet the new fan-submitted characters and some characters of my own! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or PJO.**

Chapter Three: Meet the New Tributes

**Nico POV**

I choked and gagged on the coal dust, but I brought the pickaxe down once more and a large chunk of the black rock broke away from the wall. I leaned down and hauled it up, putting it into one of the mine carts that was provided. All of my carts were full now. I groaned and cracked my back, which was tight after another grueling day of bending over. I pressed a button and the carts began to jerkily make their way up the rail at turtle speed. I trudged alongside it as we neared the elevator.

The last month had been horrible. Every day I'd go down into the mines and fill up the carts every few hours, so I had to make a multitude of trips every day. There was still so much coal to mine and my back couldn't take much more of this. It was worth it, though; I made well over a hundred drachmas and was now reaching the thousands. I now qualified for the Hunger Games and wouldn't be executed painfully, and that was a huge burden off of my shoulders. Now I wasn't working to make money. I was working because it was forced labor. More than once did I get whipped or beaten by my peacekeepers for cutting down the price of my coal for my friends so they could afford it.

My carts reached the elevator before me. I groaned as I tried to speed up, but all of my gear weighed me down. My face and hands were covered in coal dust so that they were an inky black. Some of my nails were cracked and more than once did some of my nails actually fall off. I wiped my forehead to be rid of the sweat that was beading down my face, which only made me even grimier. I stepped into the elevator and brought up a cart with me.

Up and down.

Up and down.

Up and down.

Up and down.

I went one cart at a time and the amount of time it sapped was rather annoying. The elevator couldn't fit two carts, or else I would've tried that already; it barely fit one cart and I had to squeeze against it in order to ride up. Finally all of the carts were above ground. I connected them and dragged them to my rundown cabin, where my peacekeepers were waiting. They unhooked three of the four carts and toted them away for use, while I got one cart to myself.

I pushed it to the side and quickly ran to the lake. I took of my helmet and laid it in the grass next to all of my other gear. I stripped down and went skinny dipping. What? This was my bath. I had no choice; what did you want me to do? Look like a monster for the rest of the day? I sighed and dunked underwater, washing off the last of the coal dust.

I swam around for a while, taking my time; my work day was over and the sun touched the horizon. My stomach growled, but I decided to skip dinner tonight; not to be against them or anything, but having dinner would mean that I'd have to buy either fish from Percy or fruit grown in District 11 from God-knows-who. You never actually met the person you were doing business with; you only paid the peacekeepers the money and the peacekeepers would exchange with the other peacekeepers; you got the food and they got the money. Of course the peacekeepers sometimes kept some of the money and the food and you were left with nothing.

After the bath I collected my clothes and coal-stained gear and threw them on in haste. It was almost curfew. I raced back to my cabin, darted inside, and slammed the door. Breathing hard, I put my gear in their respected places and collapsed onto my bed, letting sleep come in a wave of tiredness. Of course, that meant nightmares.

_"__Nico." Percy's voice was barely a whisper. I couldn't see his face through the dark, but I knew he was crying by the way his voice cracked when he said my name. It had been our first day at the Great Giant Prison and we had just had a taste of some of the tortures that we'd be experiencing for the next month, or so we thought at the time, for the rest of our miserable lives. _

_ "__Yeah?" I asked and hugged him closer. Even though he'd just been tortured and smelled like blood, I could still pick up the sharp tang of the ocean through the metallic smell. I reminded myself that Percy was still Percy and no matter what, he would always smell like the sea. _

_ "__I'm…I'm scared." he whimpered. I tensed; it was uncharacteristic for Percy to suddenly admit that he was scared, but I needed to be optimistic. For Percy's sake._

_ "__Don't be." I said soothingly. "I'm right here." _

_ "__The things they showed me. The nightmares and the good memories turned bad. They…they messed with my memories. One of the worst ones was when we were rescuing you from the bronze jar. You toppled out…but you were dead. You'd thought that we wouldn't come for you and you'd slit your wrists with your sword instead of slowly suffocating. I…I never felt the same again. They broke me, Nico. They shattered me." Percy sobbed. _

_ "__Shh, Percy. Those were just nightmares. They weren't real. I'm right here, not dead." _

_ "__But I believed it for some reason. I knew that that didn't happen, but I believed it. I…I thought you were dead." Percy was crying hysterically now. It didn't help that the cell door had just opened and they'd thrown Jason inside. We turned to the son of Jupiter, who curled up on the floor and began to cry into his hands. _

_ "__Piper!" he wailed. "They killed her! She'd dead!" _

_ "__Jason, please!" I begged and knelt beside him. I gathered him up into my arms and whispered words of encouragement into his ear. "That wasn't real. Piper is okay. She's fine." This was becoming all too hard. I had two friends I couldn't possibly comfort at the same time, so against my will I blocked them out and let them cry. Little did I know that I'd do that all too much as days came and went. _

"Percy!" I woke up screaming. I looked around my tiny house and sighed inwardly. Just a sour memory. I covered my head with the skimpy blanket that was provided and tried to fall asleep again, but it was impossible. My stomach growled insistently and I groaned. I romped to my cabinet with a bad case of bed breath and took out my last piece of food; a small bag of crackers. I'd gotten it from Piper, since she sold wheat stuff. I scarfed them down and went outside to get some extra coal to put in the fireplace.

With the fire burning bright, I sat in the old wooden rocking chair and watched as the flames danced in the hearth. I was just about to doze off when there was an urgent rap on the door. I leapt to my feet and answered it, since my peacekeepers did not enjoy being kept waiting.

"Mr. di Angelo we insist that you come with us. Bring nothing but yourself and the clothes on you." One of the dracaene, who I learned was Xenia, hissed. Her forked tongue flicked in and out. Uh-oh. I was in some deep trouble. I quickly pulled on my shoes and joined my peacekeepers outside. They led me…no, _escorted _me to the train station, which I was forbidden to venture. I stopped at the base of the steps.

"Don't worry, you have permission." The other dracaene, Gretel, snickered and pushed me up the steps roughly. I stumbled, but didn't fall. I didn't want to show weakness to these two jackasses. I strode onto the platform and we waited for the train to arrive. When it did, in a flash of whistling wind, the doors opened to reveal the faces I knew all too well. That's when I realized that the Hunger Games had begun.

-Ω-

**Leo POV**

Thank the gods my legs healed up before the Games started, or else I'd be a dead man. We picked Nico up last and the train sped off at an awesome speed. Thankfully none of my friends had went below the requirement and everyone was one, big, happy family…except for one thing. The other tributes.

They shared the train with us, and all of them were not that…sociable. Most of them didn't even bother telling us their names, which probably wouldn't matter since we were going to fight to the death. Well, I can tell you about them at least.

Well, the first one I met was this big buff dude from District 2. Seriously, this guy was ripped; probably from all the stone-cutting and weapon-making he had to do in his District. He had long black hair that went down to his shoulders and cold, hard, green eyes. Don't worry, he definitely was not a son of Poseidon; if he was he would've had to be Percy's twin since they looked about the same age, and they certainly looked nothing alike. He also didn't show any loyalty whatsoever, unless not all children of Poseidon have a fatal flaw of loyalty. He was covered in tattoos, the biggest one being a sword and a spear crossed in front of a torch that drowned his right bicep in black ink. He always scowled as if there was a pebble in one of his steel-toed combat boots all the time and his gaze was hard and penetrating.

At least this guy had the nerve to speak to me, unlike other tributes. As soon as he saw me he walked over, crushed my hand in an agonizing handshake (I was lucky that no bones were broken) and said, "The name's Tetro. Tetro Valcan, son of Enyo. Get ready to be pummeled you little sonofabitch." With that he walked away to his quarters, leaving me stunned. **(A/N: Sorry for interrupting but I looked up who Enyo was and she is actually the GREEK FORM OF BELLONA. BELLONA IS NOT ENTIRELY ROMAN LIKE REYNA CLAIMS. TAKE THAT RICK; YOUR FANS KNOW MORE ABOUT MYTHOLGY THAN YOU DO. WAIT, I'M SORRY RICK! PLEASE DON'T KILL OFF ANY CHARACTERS I LOVE. I SURRENDER!)**

Since they picked up the tributes in order, it was Hazel, Tetro, me, Percy, Jason, and then the girl from District 6. Man, that girl was so goddamn creepy at first I thought she was Samara from the Ring at first. She has long, stringy black hair that covers most of her face, and unlike other girls she doesn't seem to give a crap that she can't freaking see. She is really, really, skinny. Seriously, what guy would want to sleep with a chick whose ribs can be seen through her shirt? That's right, nobody. How could she possibly even move being that skinny? It's kind of ironic since her District is the transportation district.

She has this Stygian iron dagger that gives me the creeps and her eyes are an obsidian black. She reminds me of a _particular_ _emo Goth kid_, which could mean that she was a child of the Underworld. I doubted that; Hades never actually broke the oath and according to Percy and Anna_bitch _he was appalled when Zeus and Poseidon had children, since he was the 'only one who didn't break it.' Then whose child could be so dark and creepy? I had yet to find out.

Next came 15-year-old Cara Ansford. She had breathtaking blue-grey eyes that were so penetrating I was surprised when she claimed her godly parent was Apollo and not Athena. Cara was Caucasian with a light and simple tan, not too tan like Percy (Actually, Percy can never be too tan, all the girls moon over him anyways even if he was sun-bleached like on that SpongeBob episode.) Her hair was a glossy brown and dropped to her shoulders in chocolaty curls. The best part was that she was about my height, and I'm the shortest damn person you'll ever see. At least I didn't have to shout up to her and ask how the weather up there is like how I did for Jason and Frank (Those too-tall sonofabitches.)

Cara was actually the only tribute who was kinda sorta nice, I guess. She didn't seem as bent on winning as Tetro, though she did have her moments. She chatted with us, particularly taking interest in Anna_bitch_. She listened intently as Anna_bitch _rattled off about her mother being Athena and how she did this and that, blah, blah, blah, though she did not seem fond of the whole, 'redesigning Olympus' part. It wasn't very surprising since she sided with the giants. Cara hated living in the paper District, even if it was only for a month. She didn't enjoy chopping down trees everyday with an axe, but due to that she learned how to actually _kill people _with axes and not just kill trees. She claimed she would only use an axe against us if it was her last option, since her strength is in archery.

After Cara came, Annabeth did. Then Piper. Then Frank. The last tribute whom I didn't know was a boy from District 11. He was also fifteen, making Hazel the youngest in the Hunger Games. When he came, I began to worry. I knew that the new tributes would target her, since she was less strong than the rest of us. I shouldn't worry; Nico and Frank would protect Hazel at all costs, but what if they got separated, or worse, what if the other tributes succeeded in killing all three of them? They all certainly looked powerful enough to defeat them, or was I just exaggerating?

He didn't seem to be bent on winning, either. In fact, he seemed rather irritated that he was drafted into the Hunger Games, unlike Tetro or the girl from District 6, who were dying to get out on the battlefield.

I had no idea who his godly parent or his name was since he didn't really talk much, but what he did tell me was that his mortal mother (which gave me a hint that it was his father who was a god) had been taken by the Capitol and executed in order to get him to submit to them. The Capitol had threatened to kill his four brothers, who were in Gaea's palace being taken care of since the boy was going to the games, if he didn't cooperate. He hated the Capitol for taking his mother and his brothers. He said that when he wins he will get his brothers back so they can't blackmail him anymore. So he wasn't really evil, only scared. He didn't want to succumb to being a warrior for the Giants, but he also didn't want his brothers being killed.

Well I guess the seven and Nico have the upper hand when it comes to the District 11 boy; we have nothing to lose but each other. We didn't have any family or any friends to go back to; both camps were now prisons and the only two of our mortal parents that hadn't died, Sally Jackson and Tristan McLean, were now undoubtedly dead. That was about the only time I was glad that my mom was killed in that fire; at least she didn't have to suffer like Sally and Tristan did before she died.

We shared a room on the train with everyone except for the other four tributes, who slept in their own personal quarters. Lucky. I asked a peacekeeper where the train was taking us and she replied with Greece. I nearly laughed at that; there wasn't a railroad across the Atlantic! Then again I was in a torture chamber for a month and so much can happen when he Giant King and Dirt Bitch are ruling the world. The sun began to set and the peacekeepers told us to get to bed or receive the punishment of twelve lashes across the back. Sheesh; this train was stricter than District 3, and that's saying a lot.

We lay wide awake in our bunk beds, staring at either the bottom of the top bunk or the metal ceiling. The train moved swiftly and silently, so it wouldn't be too hard to fall asleep if you weren't in the situation that we were in, so we stayed up all night, not even daring to get up and go to the bathroom in fear that the peacekeepers would whip us. Jason lay in the bunk above me, and I could hear him rustling the sheets out of frustration; everyone wanted to go to sleep, but with the utter hopelessness of everything it was impossible.

All of a sudden the woman, the Avox, walked in with a tray of something. She set it down on the table that lay in the center of the room, and that's when I realized that they were sleeping pills, cups, and a pitcher full of water. She poured everyone a glass and dropped a dark blue pill into each one. She began handing them out and I heard soft snores (make that bulldozer snores when it came to Frank, Percy, and Jason) coming from everyone soon after they consumed the pill. I went last and I thanked the Avox as she handed me the glass. She shrugged as if to say: _Don't mention it. _I felt the pill settle into my stomach and immediately my eyes began to droop. I could only feel the soft brush of the Avox's lips on my forehead before I slipped into the forced sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N) I know that the last chapter was rather boring since it was just meeting the OC's that Elijah, Evermyst, and I created, but this chapter will be jam-packed with excitement since it will be the tribute parade. The chapter after the next chapter will be the talk show, but still; this chapter was very, very long. I actually had to split it up into two chapters; this one and the next. It takes up more than twenty pages of the Microsoft Word document I have it saved on. And it's size fourteen. Just warning you; you might have to split this up between a few days. Also, there was a bit of confusion about the whole 'Annabeth breaks up with Percy' dilemma. I answered all of your reviews in one big review. I hope your questions are answered. ENJOY THE DAMN CHAPTER.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or the Hunger Games**

**Hazel POV**

**(A/N: Forget what I said about not doing anything in the girls' POVs. Let's just put it this way: I like writing in the boys' POVs because they are much, much, much more interesting and I will write in the girls' POVs when I feel like it.)**

"_Hazel dear, braid my hair. NOW." _

_ "__Set the table, Hazel. Or do you want ten lashes to decorate your back?" _

_ "__Faster! I want this place shiny clean by the time I'm back or I'll BEAT YOU TO DEATH!" _

_ "__Every time you mess up your brother and your boyfriend get extra punishment!"_

_ "__WHAT'S GOING ON? WHY AM I GETTING MORE LASHES? I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG! PLEASE HAVE MERCY! PLEASE!" _

_ "__I CAN'T LIVE LIKE THIS ANYMORE! PLEASE, GET ON WITH IT! KILL ME NOW! JUST KILL ME!"_

_I could only watch and try to block out the sound as the Giants and Gaea's orders rattled through my skull. Nico's screams rang in my ears and Frank's begging echoed through my mind. I guess that sleeping pills didn't keep demigod dreams away. I clawed at my ears as Nico and Frank's screaming became louder and louder, overpowering the sound of the orders. I knew that the time had passed, that they were safer now in the train, but I couldn't help but feeling the overwhelming guilt. _

_Every time one of us girls did something wrong our boyfriends got punished, sort of like a proxy except that the punishments were being added on top of loads and loads of suffering and torture. We were tied down to chairs and forced to watch a one-way Iris message that we could see but the boys couldn't as they were beaten senseless into crumbled heaps on the floor, but they were always force-fed ambrosia before there soul could stop being anchored to their bodies. All I could do was scream and watch as tears streamed down their faces as they begged for mercy on their knees, but they received none as the torture continued. _

I woke up screaming. My screams were soon joined by those of my companions as they too woke up from some sort of nightmare. I climbed down my ladder as fast as I could and ran to Frank's bunk, collapsing into his arms as we cried into each other's necks. Percy clambered down the ladder and began to run towards Annabeth, but then he realized that they were over and Annabeth was crying with Piper. He had no one. The poor son of Poseidon collapsed onto the ground and pulled his legs to his chest, screaming and crying. Nico ran to Percy and they pulled each other into a tight embrace.

I kissed Frank, shivering with pleasure to the familiar warmth of his lips against mine; the warmth that I'd missed dearly when we were separated. The only ones who weren't crying were Jason and Leo, but they looked pretty traumatized as they curled up into the fetal position and stared with glazed, wide eyes off into nothing as if they could see invisible monsters that no one else could. It became even worse when the peacekeepers barged in and saw us in the pitiful states that we were.

"Listen up, weaklings!" a Laistrygonian giant bellowed. We all quieted immediately. My back ached with the memory of old wounds, but I ignored it as the monster continued, "If you want to get sponsors, you have to be tough. Nobody would want to sponsor or bet on a crying little twerp that can't handle a bit of trauma. So I suggest you all start manning up; the cameras will start rolling this afternoon and you'll need to convince everyone that _you _are the one that should be sponsored. You need to make them fall in love with you. If you don't...well don't expect to win the Hunger Games. It's time for breakfast. Join us at the dining car." With that, the peacekeepers lumbered out, slamming the door behind them.

"Weaklings? Crying Twerps? A LITTLE BIT OF TRAUMA!?" with every sentence Percy's voice rose until it was a shout. "HOW DARE THEM!" He slammed his fist on the floor and scowled deeply. His broken, hurt, tortured, hopeless, sad, green eyes now held something else in them; pure rage. "THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE TORTURED DAY IN DAY OUT WITH NOTHING ELSE TO LOOK FORWARD TO OTHER THAN ROTTING AND STARVING IN A COLD CELL. THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HOPE. NOT HOPING FOR ESCAPE, BUT HOPING FOR _DEATH_. THEY DON'T NOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO _WANT TO DIE. _THEY DON'T KNOW! THEY'LL NEVER KNOW!" Percy screamed at the top of his lungs. He pulled at his hair and collapsed onto his side, crying. Nico gathered him up into his arms as the Hero of Olympus sobbed into his shirt.

"Shh, Percy. Be strong. Don't give them satisfaction. Please, Perce. Don't cry. Don't-" My brother's voice cracked and he said nothing more. Percy looked up at him with large, round, teary eyes that would make anyone's heart melt. He wiped furiously at his tears and staggered to his feet with the help of Nico. Together, all eight of us walked to the dining car, where Porphyrion, Polybotes, Tetro, the District 6 girl, Cara, the District 11 boy, and some guards were waiting.

"It's about time." Tetro scoffed and speared one of his pancakes with his butter knife as if it were another tribute.

"Shut up, bitch." Surprisingly, it was Leo who retorted. His brown eyes blazed with anger and he was scowling. Despite his elfish appearance, Leo looked pretty menacing.

"That's it!" Tetro roared and barged towards him, nearly toppling over Cara, who was watching from the sidelines with wide eyes. He pinned Leo against the wall, scowling so deeply that a little drool dribbled from the downturned corners of his mouth. The Giants and the peacekeepers did nothing to stop Tetro. In fact, they seemed rather entertained. What the hell was wrong with them? "Listen to me, you little punk. I would kill you now, but I know I could do it slower and in a more painful way in the arena. So when you step foot into the Games, watch your back. I will kill you and I will do it slowly, do you hear what I'm saying?"

Leo spit into Tetro's face, making the son of Enyo bellow in outrage and stumble back, wiping off the spittle that slathered his face. "I'LL TEAR YOU TO PIECES!" he roared and thundered towards Leo. All of a sudden he skidded to a halt. Leo was holding up a ball of raging, white-hot fire in his palm. He held it out to Tetro, who was backing away, murmuring, "He's a fire-user." Leo grinned, but it wasn't his usual, humorous, don't-even-think-about-it smiles; this grin was more of a smirk and screamed danger and menace.

"Anger is an ugly color on you, Tetro. One more step, stone-cutter boy and you'll be a puddle of goo on the floor." Leo said calmly, but there was an icy and threatening undertone to it. Leo never ever spoke like that without it being a joke. Tetro made a growling sound in the back of his throat and reclaimed his chair. Everyone who had been standing took a seat; Leo and Tetro sitting on opposite ends of the table. I wound up sitting between Leo and Frank. I turned to Leo.

"Did you regain your powers while you were in the Districts? I certainly did; while I was in Gaea's palace I couldn't even summon Fool's Gold, not to mention _actual gold."_ I whisper to him in a subtle manner, as to not get people curious about what we were talking about. Leo nodded but didn't reply. He was more focused on eating; the poor boy looked much, much, much healthier than when I first saw him, emaciated and malnourished, but you could still faintly see his ribs outlined against his shirt. He needed to eat. I let him devour his breakfast undisturbed. Meanwhile, I caught that creepy girl from District 6 staring at me with a beady black eye, since her other eye was hidden by her black hair.

I had no idea what to think of this girl. She was pale, skinny, and mostly kept to herself. She was like Nico, but then again Hades would've broken the oath if he'd had her, not that it mattered anymore; Hades was in Tartarus with the rest of the gods and Alcyoneus had seized control, though it was ancient law that nobody could mess with the dead and people who died should not be tormented unless they were sentenced to Punishment. 

"So, I hope all of you are prepared for what is to come." Porphyrion asked and raked his hard gaze across everyone, making all of us, even the four new tributes, squirm in their seat. Nobody answered.

"Very well, I suppose you think I'm the bad guy and you don't want anything to do with me. That is, in fact, very hurtful." Porphyrion scoffed with mock upset dripping from his voice.

"You sent us to a torturing facility for a month!" Percy snarled, spreading his arms to show off all of the ugly scars that marred his skin. I realized that I was just as angry as Percy was. This Giant tortured us and expected forgiveness? The nerve of people these days! Back in my day (I expect you to read this in an old lady voice) people were more polite and didn't expect compassion WHEN THEY SCREWED UP YOUR LIFE AND NEARLY DROVE YOU INSANE.

"And you made us your bitches. We did _everything _for you! We cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and cleaned until our knuckles were bloody and our backs were sore! We even braided your dreadlocks!" I found myself hissing. Frank and Leo gave me shocked looks and shook their heads madly with wide, terrified eyes. The message was clear: _Don't talk back or else we'll suffer through things much worse than death. _

Instead of whipping me or beating me, Porphyrion threw back his head and laughed. It took all of my will not to launch myself at him. This wasn't funny. At all. "Oh! Good times, weren't they, Hazel? You've grown so much more confident since you reunited with the boys. Should I break them in order for you to get the impression that with your little gang you are _not_ invincible?" There was no humor in Porphyrion's voice now and I was trembling under his hard gaze. I shouldn't have said that. Percy's exclamation was one thing; a slight act of indirect rebellion, but my comment outwardly insulted him. I was doomed.

"No, sir." I said quietly and looked down at the floor in order to break my gaze away from his.

"That's what I thought." The Giant King growled. We ate in silence for the rest of the meal, eventually roaming back to our room at some point. I absentmindedly looked out the window, watching the sea whip past. It turns out that the Giants had, in fact, built a railroad over the Atlantic to allow easy transport from Europe, Asia, and Africa to the Americas. We were going to take two pit stops in Greenland and Iceland on the way, so that the train could refill on fuel (which was called something, something plasma gas…not sure what the first two words were) and give its engines a break. Even if Greenland was mostly ice, we'd still stay in our temperature-controlled train until we made it to Greece. Ugh, this was going to be a long ride.

-Ω-

**Jason POV**

"We're here." I heard Hazel say breathlessly. She'd been staring out the window for most of the trip. I knew it was to get her mind off of the events that happened at breakfast, but she seemed content watching the ocean whip by. In Iceland the train picked up the camera crew. Every tribute was assigned a camera person to video tape their every move. I was assigned Pepper, a bubbly empousa who seemed not at all empousa-like.

Her fiery hair burned with purple flames instead of orange and she had had some sort of spray tan to make her skin look almost human-like. She had worn down her fangs with a nail file so that they looked regular and she covered her mismatched legs with jeans and her feet with high-tops. She smiled and waved at me from behind the camera as she filmed me doing nothing, but the entire point of the camera crew was to keep up with the tributes 24/7 so I guess that was the entire point. To try and win over some of the female sponsors out there, I winked at the camera and flashed my most dazzling smile. It must've been pretty convincing because even Pepper blushed.

I walked over to Piper and sat down next to her, Pepper following me and joining Piper's ugly, grumpy dracaene camera woman named Ursula. I wrapped my arm around her and she leaned against my shoulder and we both watched the scenery whip by. From the looks of it we were probably riding up Mount Terra just as we speak. Piper kissed me on the cheek and I blushed; we were on live TV and showing affection to the millions upon millions of monsters that were probably watching. Then again, she probably wanted us to be deemed the Star-Crossed Lovers, which wasn't at all bad since we'd be the couple who had the most sponsors.

_"__Alrighty ladies and gents we are exiting out onto the platform. Please take yourself and any of your belongings to the nearest exit." _A gruff voice grunted over the intercom. Piper and I sighed in unison and we stood up, holding hands all the way to the exit, with Pepper and Ursula in hot pursuit. Just as we arrived, the doors opened and we stepped out onto the platform. Immediately I gawked; Mount Terra was huge! Even bigger than Olympus! The city was more modern and monsters that donned very, very Lady-Gaga-reject sort-of clothes were everywhere. There were empousa with rainbow colored fire-hair, dracaene with purple pants pulled over their snake-tail legs and their snake hair pulled up into crazy hairdos, Cyclopes who wore sparkly gold tuxedos and glasses with only one eye hole, and even traitor centaurs who had tattoos spiraling up and down their human half and covering their horse halves. It was complete and total chaos.

We were immediately swarmed by the press and the monster version of the Paparazzi.

"How do you feel about being drafted into the Hunger Games?"

"Have you made any alliances?"

"Do you get along with the four other tributes that work for the Giants?"

"Are you and Piper a power couple?"

"What is your opinion toward the Capitol?"

"Is your ship name Jiper or Jasper?"

"Have you two done the frickle-frackle?"

"Are you aiming for being deemed the Star-Crossed Lovers?"

"Crappy, no, sorta, yes, I'm not allowed to say, Jasper, yes, yes." I answered curtly and clung to Piper's hand for dear life, afraid that I might lose her in this mob. Now I knew what it was like to be famous. No wonder why they tried to avoid the cameras at all times; this was pandemonium. Porphyrion, Polybotes, and the other guards were also swarmed by the Paparazzi and blinded and deafened by the flashing and clicking of cameras, but they managed to escort us all the way to the meeting place of the Giants, where the cameras could not follow except for our personal camera crew.

It was designed exactly like the Olympian Council, with twelve (thrones for all of the 'Olympian' giants, which included Alcyoneus and Clytius despite the fact that Hades and Hecate were not Olympians. Alcyoneus had left the Underworld in the care of one of his advisors and was now sitting on a throne made of bones and obsidian. Others who were seated included:

The twins Otis and Ephialtes (who had different thrones but were both the anti-Dionysus)

Enceladus (the anti-Athena)

Polybotes (anti-Poseidon)

Porphyrion (anti-Zeus)

Gration (anti-Artemis who ironically is a guy)

Mimas (anti-Hephaestus)

Otus (anti-Apollo)

Hippolytus (anti-Hermes)

Clytius (anti-Hecate)

And last but not least, Gaea herself.

All of them looked more powerful than ever before. They glared down at us with evil smirks and snickers, for the Heroes of Olympus had been defeated and were now standing helplessly at their feet. They knew that we could do nothing to stop them from throwing us into an arena to fight to the death. Gaea seemed to take interest in us, her glowing green eyes flashing brighter for a moment as she inspected us critically. With a nod as if she was saying: _They will do_, she sat back and the Council meeting began.

"Welcome _Heroes of Olympus_." Porphyrion put emphasis on those last three words to make us feel even more horrible. "Today you will be paraded down the longest road on Mount Terra in chariots and attire that represent your godly parent in order to show off your beauty and win sponsors. The Districts had been to show off your skill. The Opening Ceremony, also known as the Tribute Parade, will be to show off your looks. Finally, Julius Caesar's talk show will be to show off your personality and your pairings. Julius Caesar's talk show will be the last time you will be on camera; the last time to appeal to the millions of viewers and potential sponsors before you go into the arena. After Caesar's talk show you will go into a week-long training session that will not be filmed, where you will learn and strengthen your skills, forge alliances, and make enemies and targets. After that comes the arena. You will each be assigned a stylist and a prep team that will help you prepare for the Tribute Parade and the talk show. They have been assigned randomly. Are we clear?" Porphyrion's voice rang out through the huge room, the only sound other than the crackling of braziers and the shuffling of feet.

"Yes, sir." The twelve of us tributes said in unison.

"Good. Let's start in District order. Hazel Levesque, your stylist is Arden Reams, daughter of Venus from Camp Jupiter." As the Giant King said this, a blonde girl with ice blue eyes walked out, followed by three empousa which was probably her prep team. She seemed rather sad, but she covered it up when she smiled fakely and outstretched her arms. Hesitantly, Hazel walked into them and embraced her new stylist. I swore I heard Arden whisper something into Hazel's ear, because both of them nodded as if coming to an agreement.

"Tetro Valcan your stylist is Mimi Pipkins, another daughter of Venus." A bouncy redheaded girl with green eyes who was about fifteen ran out and enveloped big boy Tetro in a rib-crushing hug.

"Leo Valdez your stylist is Drew Tanaka." My mouth dropped open as Drew, the bitchiest bitch in the history of bitchy bitches strut out with her hands on her hips. She was grinning from ear to ear. How did she get here? Porphyrion did say that our stylists would be children of Venus and Aphrodite, but really? Drew? Are you _kidding me_?

"I can't wait to work with you, Jason." She purred and rubbed her hips in a slow and seductive manner. She blew me a kiss with puckered lips that were covered in the perfect amount of red lipstick. I nearly blushed, but then I realized that Piper was watching me and I quickly sorted myself out. I would _not _let myself be turned on by this bitch.

"Actually, Miss Tanaka you will be working with Mr. Valdez." Porphyrion snorted with amusement. I nearly burst out laughing at Drew's reaction. Her face said it all; her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open, smudging her lipstick slightly.

"What!? You mean I'm stuck with the twerp!?" she seemed to choke on her own makeup.

"Do you want to go back to Camp Half-Blood and resume your prison duties?" Porphyrion snarled menacingly.

"No, sir." Drew muttered and crossed her arms, looking at her shoes. She didn't even bother to greet Leo with a scowl as he walked over to join her and her prep team of three crazily-dressed dracaene who had as much energy as Leo.

"Percy Jackson your stylist is one of the best; Silena Beauregard." Percy gasped as mist began to pool in front of him, taking the form of a girl who was about the same age as she was. She looked pretty solid; unlike most ghosts, she had color and her blonde curls tumbled over one shoulder. But if you looked closely you could see right through her. She smiled at the stunned Percy and hugged him. He went stiff as a board, but eventually hugged her back, sobbing into her clothes and murmuring, "You're back. You're actually back." Three other ghost girls who I assumed where deceased daughter of Venus/Aphrodite, formed from the mist as Percy's prep team.

"Jason Grace your stylist is Mitchell. He's the only son of Aphrodite who is mentioned in the entirety of the Heroes of Olympus and Percy Jackson and the Olympians series." Porphyrion mumbled the side comment under his breath so that nobody heard him.

Mitchell strode out with his hands stuffed deeply in his pockets. His smile that I'd come to love had faded and the light in his eyes was replaced by a broken look that I saw all too much when I looked into a mirror. As I approached him he grudgingly shook my hand. My prep team consisted of three Aurae, much like the ones who used to serve hungry demigods at Camp Jupiter, who were all giggling and laughing. They blushed whenever I looked at them, which only made me even more confused than I already was.

To make a long story short, all of my other friends were assigned sons and daughters of Aphrodite and Venus that I either didn't know or I had only heard about and were acquainted with. None whom were mentioned, at least, except for one man who caught my eye. He was assigned to Nico and his name was Cinna. He was a son of Venus whom I had never seen at Camp Jupiter before and was, besides Hazel, the only dark-skinned person in this room. He smiled, revealing dazzling white teeth to Nico as he shook his hand. He seemed very experienced in his work; his clothes were fancy and seemed to be self-made due to some rough edges that wouldn't appear on store-bought clothes. It seemed that Mitchell and I had a competition.

-Ω-

**Nico POV**

After everyone was matched up with their stylist and prep team, we were led out of the council room and back onto the streets of Terra. Of course, we were engulfed by the sound of shouting reporters, the sound of clicking as photos were taken, and flashing too. Porphyrion managed to shoo away most of the horde, but the determined ones stayed to take more pictures. The Giant King led us to a huge building that had an outside made of metal. It had a gothic look to it **(A/N: Sorry for interrupting but for a better visual think of the Institute from the Mortal Instruments) **and few windows, though the windows it did have gleamed in the light of the setting sun. That was probably the facility here we'd live, train, and be dressed by our stylists and prep teams until the Games began.

Porphyrion left us alone with the guards, the personal camera crews, our prep teams, and our stylists. The guards gave us some breathing space, but they still kept a watchful eye on us. Cinna, Drew, Silena, Arden, Mimi, Mitchell, and the other stylists led us down a long corridor. The floors were made of tan-brown marble tiles and the ceiling arched overhead. The walls were mahogany and added on to the rather rustic and gothic appearance of the building. Angels that were whittled into some of the arches glared down at us, mouths open in a silent song; their arms outstretched as they held torches that burned with orange flames.

There were also bat-winged people carved here and there as well; their eyes, which were intentionally pupil-less, seemingly following us as we walked. Our footsteps echoed like a fading memory and the crackling of the torches sounded like evil laughter. Not a word was spoken as we silently made our way to wherever the stylists were taking us. We passed countless doors, but apparently the stylists weren't interested in them; their eyes were trained ahead towards our destination.

Finally the corridor widened into a huge commons area, complete with couches, a blazing hearth, end tables with lion paws at the bottom of the legs, and to top it all off; a bearskin rug. I watched as the fire blazed and danced in the cobblestone fireplace, casting eerie shadows on everyone's faces and illuminating the beautiful yet ancient-looking tapestries that hung on the walls. The ceiling was also made of wood and was domed; intricate flowers made of wood sprouting here and there, along with nymphs, bushes, trees, and other beings of nature. I couldn't take it in all at once; it was all so beautiful and massive that it gave me vertigo.

Including the hallway that we had just emerged from, there were at least fourteen other corridors that branches off of the common room, that's how big it was. Our stylists exchanged looks, as if engaging in silent arguments, but they made up their decision a little later. Cinna guided me and my prep team to the second-to-last corridor and that's when I realized that the hallways were based on District number. District 1 was all the way on the left and that's where Hazel and Arden where going. Since I was District 12, Cinna and I were going to the second-to-last corridor. There wasn't any District 13 as far as I knew, and nobody was going into the rightmost hallway. That probably meant that that was the way to the training area or something.

As I departed from my friends, I began to panic. What if the Hunger Games was a joke? What if we were just going to be tortured again, but this time we'd have to brave it alone? Began to tremble, but Cinna put a hand on my shoulder. His brown eyes shone with sympathy and right then I knew I wanted to befriend this man. He seemed older than all of the other stylists and tributes; he looked about twenty, yet he seemed more experienced than any of them despite the fact that he was only older by a few years. Cinna led the way, his hand still on my shoulder and my prep team and my personal camera crew trailed behind.

I immediately felt safer with Cinna. He didn't seem like the betraying type. In fact, he seemed like a good guy, though he hadn't spoken a word to me yet. Finally the hall widened and we came to four doors. I turned to Cinna, who smiled at me. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, but I immediately crushed it. I would not allow myself to have a crush on this man, who was at least six years older than me! I've already been rejected by Percy (Well, not really; I was only rejected by him because of the fact that he was straight) and I couldn't be rejected by someone else.

"Okay, Nicolas…that your real name, isn't it?" Cinna asked. I nodded and pursed my lips; I hated when people called me by my real name. My stylist frowned, cutting cute little wrinkles in his skin that I could just stare at all day…GET IT TOGETHER DI ANGELO! "Can I just call you Nico? Or do you like being called Nick?"

"Nico, please." I replied politely, trying to keep my blush to a minimum. Cinna beamed and clapped my shoulder. His teeth were as dazzling as diamonds twinkling in the sun…GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF NICO. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?

_But he's hot. _The gayer part of my brain complained.

_Shut the hell up. _I snarled.

_Ask if you can see his abs. He probably has, like, the most fab six-pack ever. _

_Hell no!_

_But why not? He's so gorgeous…_

_HOW THE HELL DID YOU EVEN GET INTO MY BRAIN IN THE FIRST PLACE!?_

_I am the gay you. The one WHO DOESN'T FREAKING HIDE THAT THEY'RE GAY. _

_GO DIE IN TARTARUS_

_I'll go with Cinna or Percy but alone? Nuh-uh. I'm staying right here._

_YOU ARE SUCH A-_

_Language, di Angelo, language._

Thankfully I was snapped out of my argument by Cinna's rich, kind voice. "Okay, Nico. The door to your far left is your own personal quarters. You have your own dining room, bedroom, bathroom, and even a place for your camera crew to sleep. There is Avox service 24/7 and will attend to your personal needs and stuff. The door next to that is your prep team and my quarters. We're just next door if you need anything. The second-to-last door is where we doll you up as in not clothing-wise; call it the makeover room. We'll cut your hair, shave you, and do whatever it takes to make you look glamorous. The last door is the dress-up room, where we'll dress you up in your two main outfits; the Tribute Parade outfit and the talk show outfit. Most of the stylists would take you on a tour through your high-tech, luxurious quarters, but I don't dilly-dally; we're getting you straight into the makeover room pronto." With that, Cinna and my prep team ushered me through the doors.

Before I could take in the rather small room, they sat me down in one of those chairs that they have at the barber shops and turned me towards the huge floor-to-ceiling mirror. All of a sudden Cinna turned to my camera crew; a Cyclopes names Greg.

"Please, sir. We have to do this in private." He told him.

"But it's my job to video tape every single detail of Nico di Angelo's life!" Greg complained from behind the camera. His single brown eye gleamed with determination.

"Then I'll take full responsibility if you get in trouble for 'not doing your job.' I'll tell them that I _asked_ you to leave." Cinna said calmly, but there was ice behind his words. Greg grumbled something to himself bud trudged out the door, slamming it behind them. Cinna quickly locked it so we could have no uninvited visitors.

"Nico, meet your prep team." Cinna gestured to the three dryads who were each holding something; a rock, a flower, and a small potted bush. That must be their life sources. Who knew dryad could actually carry them around? The dryads set their life sources down on the top of a dresser and smiled at me. The problem was that they weren't dressed in classic dryad wear; their hair was dyed blue, yellow, and a neon green and their clothes were just as crazy. They all wore different-colored short, slutty skirts and low-cut T-shirts. It was shocking.

"This is Igneous, or Iggy for short." Cinna pointed to the dryad whose life source was a rock. It was kind of ironic that her name was also the name of a type of rock, unless her parents wanted it to be that way. I gave Iggy a hug which was awkward for me but exciting for her.

"Hi, Nico. You're such a cutie." She squealed and kissed my cheek. My eyes widened and I looked at Cinna, who was scowling at Iggy. The dryad shrugged and batted her eyelashes at me, blowing me a kiss. Okay…that was weird. A nature spirit who had a crush on the homosexual son of the god of the Underworld. Eww.

"Sorry about my sister, she's a terrible flirt!" the dryad whose life force was attached to a flower told me. "My name is Lotus, since the flower I'm attached to is a lotus!" she said melodramatically. We hugged and thankfully Lotus didn't kiss me or try to flirt.

"Last but not least is Millie." Cinna nodded towards the last dryad, who was looking at me shyly. Surprisingly she wasn't named for her life source, but I was sort of disappointed that it wasn't Coach Hedge's wife Mellie (Millie, Mellie whatever, they sounded the same); Coach, Millie, and Frodo (Don't blame me; I didn't make up the name that they gave their newborn son) were at Camp Half-Blood…or should I say Prison Half-Blood. Millie didn't hug me, she only shook my hand. Out of the three dryads I liked Lotus the most; she wasn't too touchy but she wasn't too withdrawn either. She was a happy medium.

"Okay, it's time to get you dolled up! Cinna, you can go into the dress-up room and make any last-minute tweaks to Nico's outfit for the Tribute Parade while we make him beautiful!" Iggy giggled and shooed my stylist towards the door. He chuckled at the dryad's peppiness and enthusiasm, but he walked out the door and to the dress-up room without complaint, the door closing behind him. I gulped. I was in a room with three dryads I barely knew and one of them probably wanted to do me. This was going to go well (note the sarcasm.)

My prep team quickly set to work. They stripped me down to my black boxers (which I was _NOT _happy about) and reseated me in the barber chair. Lotus put a smock-thing on me and began to cut my long hair, which had grown until I needed to brush it out of my eyes every five seconds. Pretty soon there was a halo of black locks around the seat. Millie swept them all up in haste and deposited them into the trash. When I actually looked into the mirror I was surprised to see that my hair was close-cropped. Roman-style. I looked like a paler, skinnier, black-haired Jason.

"Do you like it?" Lotus asked sweetly and leaned over my chair so that her head was resting on my shoulder. I was shocked; I looked like a totally different person. I actually didn't look so Goth anymore despite the bags under my eyes.

"I love it." I said in awe.

"Great!" Iggy squealed and clapped her hands. "It's my turn now!" The dryad grabbed my arm and sat me in the middle of the room. I realized what she was going to do only after she pulled out the wax tape. I tensed. "Oh, don't worry. It's not as bad as people say it is." With that, she pulled off a long strip of tape, cut it with scissors and proceeded to rip every hair from my body.

It wasn't as bad as people said it was…it was worse. I yelped as Iggy waxed my eyebrows, claiming "Cinna wants you to straddle the line between masculine handsome and feminine beautiful." I groaned as Iggy pulled off yet another strip of tape and waxed my back. My skin was raw and I felt rather exposed, which had nothing to do with the fact that I was only in my boxers.

"I think he's done." Lotus piped up as I moaned and rubbed my tender skin.

"But we should go over it a second time. Just in case!" Iggy insisted and began to pick away at the last bit of wax tape.

"If you 'go over it a second time' you'll rip off his skin, not his body hair." Millie scoffed and crossed her arms. I was surprised; she hadn't spoken much, but that right there was sass. Didn't know that dryads could sass people until now.

"Fine." Iggy growled and put the wax tape away. Millie led me back to the barber chair and sat me down. I waited patiently as she walked to the dresser and began to rummage around the drawers, muttering to herself. I examined my skin, which was red from all of the waxing. I probably looked so girly now; with waxed eyebrows and no body hair whatsoever. I looked up to the mirror and I swear I saw a different person. This boy looked well-fed and his black hair was close-cropped. His brown eyes shone with intelligence and his skin was rippled with muscles. The only problems were that the boy's skin was a bright red so that he looked like he was blushing all over and there were dark bags under his eyes. When I moved, he moved. When I blinked, he blinked. Yup, it was definitely me.

Finally, Millie came back with a bunch of make-up supplies. I nearly groaned. First a haircut, then waxing, now makeup? What else were they going to do to feminize me? Give me a microphone that makes my voice have a gay flare to it? I had no idea, but I was at the mercy of these people. I had to do what they asked or else I wouldn't get sponsors. They were the professionals; they knew how to make me handsome. They also knew how to make people adore me. I made a choking sound like a dying duck as Millie produced some eyeliner, some blush, and some foundation from her kit.

"Don't worry, silly. We're not going to put lipstick, eyelash extensions, or eye shadow on you. We're just enhancing all of your masculine qualities." Millie said with a smile. I let out a sigh of relief. So Cinna and my prep team weren't aiming for me to be named the Gay Boy of the Games or anything. Thank. The. Gods. "Okay, you have to do _exactly_ as I say or else the makeup will smudge, and smudged makeup looks hideous." Millie ordered and nodded. I stood completely still as she smeared the foundation on my face to even out my skin tone. It was really, really, really, sticky but I didn't complain. How did girls put up with this every morning? Most of all, how did they apply it themselves? I had someone doing it for me but most girls did their own makeup. How the hell did they do that? It was a girl secret that we guys weren't allowed to know. **(A/N: Honestly I'm a girl and even I don't know the secret; when I put makeup on it basically looks like crap.)**

I closed my eyes gently as Millie applied a thin layer of eyeliner to my lids and I tried not to sneeze when some powder drifted into my nose as she was applying the blush. Finally I was able to look up at the mirror. Staring back at me was a boy even more alien than the first. He had a fair skin tone that wasn't too pale like the regular Nico's was and the eyeliner really brought out the brown color of his eyes, which I realized were a mixture of different-colored browns and not flat out crap-color. There was a slight red tinge to his cheeks that made him look rather innocent. But I also hated it. It just…didn't look like I was me. It looked like a whole new person and I want to be me, even if being me sucks. It made me so frustrated. Why did this life have to be mine? It was a horrible life, but it was still a life all the same.

"Thanks, I love it." I said, trying to keep the tightness out of my voice. "I have to use the bathroom."

Lotus smiled at me and pointed to a small door in the corner. I grinned a toothy grin, but I bet I was grimacing instead. I quickly leapt off of the barber chair and sprinted into the bathroom, closing the door and locking it. I looked around. The walls and floor were covered in tiles made of real gold and silver, with a floor-to-ceiling mirror next to the sink. There was a luxurious gold bathtub off to one side, complete with a shower head, satin curtains for privacy, and voice-activated temperature control. There was also a toilet that had a seat-warmer and a stereo, along with a sink that had water that changed color the longer you kept it on, but it turned off by itself. There was even a super fluffy and absorbent carpet to stand on when you got out of the shower. A metal plate on the wall caught my eye and I stalked over to it.

There was a single black button on it that drew my curiosity. At least it wasn't a big red button and the world wouldn't go boom if I pressed it. Or would it? I pressed it anyway. Immediately the left wall flipped up and revealed an assortment of hair gels, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, deodorant, shaving cream, over-the-counter medications, soaps, washcloths of all colors, and even bubbles and rubber ducks. My mouth hung open as I took in all of the varieties.

"Nico?" I heard a voice call from outside the door. It was Cinna.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Take a long, hot bath. You deserve it. Try not to dunk underwater or else we'll have to redo your makeup, but be our guest to try out the shampoos and stuff from our wide collection. I suggest you put Soothing Aloe Moisture and Lotion inside the tub as you run the water. It'll sting at first, but it'll prevent your raw skin from being more exposed to germs." Cinna advised.

"But how am I going to wash the shampoo and conditioner out?" I asked.

"All you have to say is 'wash [insert area of body here] only' and the shower will do its high-tech magic. It's really cool. And also, Nico?"

"I'm still here, Cinna."

"Don't put your clothes back on; put on one of the robes that hang on the back of the door."

"Kay."

"Have fun."

As soon as the conversation was done I immediately scanned the wall for the Soothing Aloe Moisture and Lotion. When I found it, I plucked the bottle off of the shelves and placed it on the edge of the tub, along with a black washcloth, some high-quality, super expensive soap, and conditioners and shampoos that were just as expensive as the soap. There was also the rubber ducky that had a bone design painted onto it so that it looked as if it were a skeleton rubber ducky. This was living in the lap of luxury.

_Too bad you're going to have to fight to the death. _I thought to myself sourly as I poured the Soothing Aloe Moisture and Lotion into the tub.

"Medium-hot bath." I tell the voice-activated temperature control. Immediately the faucet began to run with water that was the perfect temperature. After it had filled to a flawless height it shut off automatically. I stripped off my underwear and stepped into the bathtub. The water stung like hell and I grit my teeth as my raw skin burned. I was pleased that there was a soft, waterproof headrest to relax against, but that comfort was wasted as I tried to bear the sting as if one thousand bees were attacking me. All of a sudden the sting ceased and was replaced by complete and utter relaxation. I sighed and melted against the headrest. This was perfect.

I grabbed the soap and covered the washcloth in foamy bubbles, lathering it on until you could barely see the washcloth itself. I washed myself as quickly as I could so I could return to just relaxing. The soap stung at first, like when you first put alcohol on a cut, but it faded as I washed it all off. After cleaning my hair with the special command of 'wash hair only,' I was back to relaxing. I play with the skeleton ducky and watched him float around. After another half hour of relaxing there was an insistent rapping on the door.

"You still alive?" Cinna asked from the other side.

"Yup."

"Hurry up, I need to try your outfit on. The Tribute Parade is soon."

"Kay." I found myself saying yet again. I usually never used text language. What was happening to me!?

I groaned as I drained the bathtub. It had been so relaxing; I'd wanted to soak in there until I was one big prune. Sadly that wasn't the case when you had to fight to the death in a goddamned Hunger Games. I dried myself off with a towel, careful to avoid my face, and put on a black satin robe that hung on the door next to other-colored robes. It was super-soft and very, very comfortable. I unlocked the bathroom door and walked out.

My prep team was gone and Cinna stood in the center of the room, smiling at me.

"You look good." He said, looking me over from head to toe. "The prep team did a decent job. I hope Iggy didn't rape you or anything." I laughed at this and he joined me.

"Okay, okay." I said, wiping tears from my eyes. "No, I'm not a victim of rape; in fact, I feel better than ever."

"Good for you. I sent the team away, because things might get a little…uncomfortable." Cinna explained.

"Hmm?" I asked, baffled. What was he going to do that would make me uncomfortable if my prep team was here? They'd already seen me in my underwear and honestly, they weren't half bad.

"Take your robe off, please."

"Oh."

Reluctantly, I untied my comfy black robe and let it slip to the ground. Great. Now I was naked in front of a guy I barely knew. This was probably the most embarrassing day of my life. Cinna circled me, looking over every part of my body with brown eyes that shone with intelligence. He did not touch me, only looked. He didn't say anything; there was only the occasional, "Hmm." Cinna bent down and picked up my black robe, handing it to me. I hastily put it on, cheeks burning.

"Your costume should fit." Cinna said proudly, clapping me on the shoulder. Thankfully he didn't make any comments about me being naked or anything. He talked as if it had never happened.

"So…what is my costume?" I asked. Cinna led me to the dress-up room. We passed a glum-looking Greg and an excited-looking prep team, but Cinna ignored them and shut the door, locking it. My stylist motioned to something that was hanging up and covered in a black tarp.

"Do you want to see it?" Cinna questioned mischievously, his eyes sparkling. I nodded vigorously and Cinna tore the tarp down. My eyes widened.

"Wow." I breathed as I withheld the sight before me.


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N) So this is an entirely new chapter that was supposed to be the same chapter as the last, so I'll just call it chapter…what is it? Five? Six? Seven? Whatever. Just…enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hunger Games or PJO and unless you are Suzanne Collins or Rick Riordan you shouldn't either!**

**Lucifer POV**

I sat in the stands that bordered the longest road in Mount Terra; Gaea's Path, now renamed Tribute Road. It stretched for a whopping half-mile and connected the Tribute House to Porphyrion's palace. I was lucky enough to get a front row seat, but the stands were suspended high in the air. I had a backpack full of drachmas slung over one shoulder and a wad of Benjamins in my pocket. As the only demigod Command Sergeant Major in the entirety of the Giants' forces, I got paid a generous amount of money. Command Sergeant Major Lucifer Schrieffer, the son of Death itself, at your service. Screw that I'm at nobody's service but the Giants'…bitch. I am but the only demigod son of Death alive right now. Thantos is the only "good" god to not be in Tartarus, for Lord Porphyrion wouldn't be able to kill his demigod prisoners if Death was chained.

All gods are the same. Selfish. They only care about themselves. That's why I joined the Giants. Gods deserved to be cast into Tartarus and those who believed that they were the rightful rulers of this were worthy of torture. Only people of great skill deserved to walk this Earth and that's why I trained and trained until all of the training dummies were reduced to clumps of stuffing and my muscles were screaming.

I had no idea which tribute I should sponsor. All of them looked pretty rough and tough on their personal channels. I had particularly taken interest in the di Angelo kid…the son of Hades. He was determined and hardy. There was a good chance that he'd win the Games. If he won the Games, I could befriend him. People of that ability to win when all the odds were against them deserved my companionship. Even an alliance with them would satisfy me. You don't need much to have my respects; all you need is skill and wits. Kill or be killed.

It was too soon into the competition to place my money yet, but I never lost a bet. Ever. I take pride into those who prove their worth, and all of the tributes have earned my respect. I specifically nominated the four tributes from the Giants' army to compete, because they were some of the most skilled in my forces. There was Corporal Tetro, Corporal Cara, Private Xavier (who I should have promoted long ago due to his amazing talents), and the most gifted of all of the students I've ever trained; Staff Sergeant Raven Nightshade, the daughter of darkness itself. The only known demigod child of Erebus to ever exist.

Everyone in the Games was powerful…except for that Annabeth girl; weaving wasn't a skill that required muscle. She was smart though, more brains than brawn, though those kind of people weren't really my type. She could outsmart the competition using wits rather than brute force, yet I still had my doubts. I would sponsor her if the other tributes weren't as they were, but there was just better opposition; tributes that possessed both brains and brawn, not just brains.

There were large holograms that hovered high overhead that would project close-up views of the tributes for those who had bad seats. I had an amazing seat, though. I was right next to the tunnel where the tributes emerged from. I had a feeling that this was going to be entertaining; all of the Big Three had been represented. A fight to the death between Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades' children? That's something worth seeing. Even that scrawny fire-user...what's his name? Liam? Luke? Leo. That's it; Leo. Leo would put up a good fight if it meant that he could live.

I rubbed my hands together in anticipation. All around me monsters were cheering and chattering. Some called out the names of their favorite tributes. Others called out their OTP names. There were mostly monsters, but here and there I saw the occasional demigod who had joined Gaea's forces cheering just as loudly as the monsters. I also heard the sound of bets being made, the closest one being between the three Cyclopes who were sitting behind me.

"My money is on the Poseidon kid." I heard one of them grunt. The jangle of drachmas came soon afterward as he placed his bet.

"Ha! In your dreams. The son of Jupiter is going to kill them all." Another replied gruffly.

"My vote is on that girl from District 6. What's her name? Um…err…"

"Raven?" I asked, turning around in my seat to face them. My obsidian-colored eyes bored into them and their mouths hung open.

"Command Sergeant Major Lucifer Schrieffer, sir!" They all said at once and they poised themselves as they saluted me.

"At ease." I say and they relaxed. "Her name is Raven. Raven Nightshade."

"Are you betting for her, sir? She has a very good chance of winning; she was trained by one of the best." One of them asked. A ghost of a smile cracked on my lips. It always humored me when my troops groveled like that.

"I feel that it is unwise to bet so early in the game? Wouldn't you agree? What if on the talk show you realize that they are insane or easily breakable under pressure? That is precious drachmas down the drain, my friends, though I can assure you that none of my four men that I nominated were insane when they left for the Districts. I am not sure how they fare now, though. Lord Porphyrion keeps us in the dark." I reply.

That's when trumpets began to play, filling the stands with powerful and elegant music. The parade was starting. It was late night and the full moon shone like a star, casting beams of moonlight down onto Tribute Road. It was still not enough light for us to see the tributes parade down the path in their chariots, so braziers and torches were everywhere; drowning out the moons soft, quiet, blue glow with harsh, loud, orange light. Every monster silenced as Lord Porphyrion's voice replaced the music on the intercoms. The holograms changed from showing the symbol of the Giants to a live broadcast of the Giant King. I would've preferred to see him in person, but he was standing on his balcony overlooking Tribute Road a half-mile away.

"Citizens of Mount Terra! I know you have all watched the channels that were broadcasting our beloved tributes and have fallen in love with at last one of them." Porphyrion paused to let the crowd roar in approval.

_Not everyone has chosen a tribute. _I thought to myself.

Porphyrion continued, "In honor of my beautiful Mother's birthday we will host the FIRST ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES!" The monsters and demigods in the stands went wild; clapping, whooping, cheering, bellowing, roaring, howling, and screaming in agreement. "We all know that there can be only one winner. So you have to make your bets wisely. In order to show off that inner beauty that all of the tributes have, I give you THE TRIBUTE PARADE!" The trumpets blared again, joined by the thrumming of a bass drum. The crowd was deafening as they cheered and hollered, roared and howled.

That's when the first chariot, District 1's chariot, emerged from the tunnel. Hazel Levesque's face appeared on all of the holograms. She smiled and waved at us, blowing kissed as her golden chariot, pulled by two unicorns with shimmering golden coats and silver horns, made their way down the road. Hazel was dressed in the most beautiful, sparkly, shiny, outfit you'd ever see to represent her father Pluto, the god of the Underworld and riches. Since she only had power over riches, her stylist Arden focused more on the riches part. She was wearing armor with overlapping plates each made of a different precious metal. Her hair was braided with jewels and a cape woven of silver and gold threads shimmered in the torchlight. All of the Hazel fangirls (or was it fanmonsters?) went wild; chanting Hazel's name and throwing flowers. Hazel caught a rose and blew a kiss towards the stand where it came from. Several male monsters swooned. Disgusting.

I wasn't very set towards sponsoring Hazel. She was menacing in that sort of tiny terror kind of way. She was powerful in the sense that she could manipulate the Mist and summon gems, but what were gems going to do for her in the Hunger Games? She was witty, but lacked skill in both swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat, a combination that I was not fond of. You could only sponsor one tribute, so I had to choose carefully. Sadly, Hazel Levesque wasn't worth betting for. When Hazel's chariot was a safe distance away, District 2's chariot marched out.

Tetro smiled and flexed, showing off his classic Greek armor and showing off that tattoo on his bicep that I'd given him since he'd begged that I do it. Since his mother was a war goddess, he had armor on. But it wasn't just that. When his armor got caught in the torchlight in burst into flames, causing the crowd to go wild. It took me a moment to get it; Enyo wasn't the goddess of fire! Then I realized that Mimi Pipkins had embraced the fact that one of Enyo's symbols was a torch. Even with his armor blazing like the burning sun, the horses pulling the iron chariot, two black, armored Clydesdales with wings, didn't get spooked. They just walked ahead; so well-trained they didn't need a handler to guide them.

Though I knew Corporal Tetro would have the upper hand in combat with his mother being the war goddess and all of his experience in my military, he was rather…dumb. He made rash decisions and never actually analyzed the situation; always taking the first thing that was offered to him if it meant getting out of the problem. There was also the fact that I've seen the actual him. He hides his feelings under the surface of his rough and tough character. He was abused by his father and ran away when the gods ruled, seeking out the Giants' army in order to get away. He is actually insecure, and that insecurity can be put against him at any time during the Games. At the time I nominated him I thought Tetro would be invincible; that he couldn't lose, but that was not the case. My bet and my sponsor money didn't go to Tetro. Then the District 3 chariot came.

Leo Valdez blew kisses to all of the lady monsters, who swooned. His hair was purposely matted with grease and his face, arms, and clothes, which were simple denim overalls over a black T-shirt, were covered in machine oil. He wore a pair of goggle things that were pushed up to his forehead. It was a simple costume, yet so amazing. It portrayed Hephaestus immediately and it also helped that Leo had set himself on fire and was now engulfed in flames as his horses, two steeds made entirely of scrap metal and electronics with fiery manes and tails, pulled his iron chariot after Tetro's.

Valdez was handy. He could fix anything and was very cunning and manipulative when it came to ladies. He could build genius traps out of the simplest materials and eliminate quite a few tributes with intricately made death traps. All of his handiness and wits, though, left him naked when it came to one-on-one combat. Though Valdez was fast and could easily retreat, he could not win if he was cornered and forced to fight. He could summon fire, but everyone besides the tributes knew that powers would be disabled by microchips that they would implant into their arms before the Games began. Leo Valdez was a good choice, but there were better. I decided to keep him in mind. After Leo's chariot came the District 4 chariot.

Everyone gasped as the two District 4 horses, two Hippocampi **(A/N: I'm referring to the one in the Sea of Monsters, not the actual Hippocampi from the books. Except these Hippocampi have back legs and fish tails) **with beautiful turquoise skin and a mane of scale-like feathers, pulled out a chariot that was decorated with fish scales. In that chariot was none other than Perseus Jackson. The returner of the Master Bolt, conqueror of the Sea of Monsters, defeater of Atlas, champion of the Labyrinth, the bane of Kronos, the savior of the legion's eagle, slayer of Polybotes (though he has re-formed), curse of the twins, survivor of Tartarus was standing in that chariot.

His face was regal and elegant, his chest left bare and chiseled with muscles and a six-pack. His black hair was neatly brushed and his eyes shone a sea-green, glittering with power and intelligence. He did not wave, only looked straight ahead as people marveled at his muscles and handsomeness. A fish net was draped over his shoulders like a shawl and he was wearing iron bracers and greaves, decorated with metal studs shaped like fish. He was wearing this Greek kilt **(A/N: Sorry I don't know what the names of those Greek man-skirt-armor-things are) **made of metal and sea creatures were carved into them. He was drop-dead gorgeous. I'm a straight, twenty-one-year-old, son of Death who commands a large portion of the Giants' army and I would totally strip down and sleep with this guy without hesitation if I was given the chance.

Perseus Jackson, more commonly known as Percy the Destroyer among monsters, has brains and brawn. He is the most powerful demigod to ever live aside from Hercules. He declined godhood and immortality _twice _and he nearly killed the goddess Akhlys when he sent a wave of her own poison towards her…or so the rumors say. He was the one that all monsters feared. Even I had nightmares about him when he was on the loose and not under the control of the Giants. My nightmares always started with me at the beach and then a marine animal would come to shore and tell me, "You're in deep trouble, bitch."

He was the one a large portion of the monsters were routing for. He was the one that everyone expected to win. If I didn't consider sponsoring this tribute, I was either insane or just plain retarded. The only problem was his fatal flaw. Loyalty to his friends. He would not kill any of them, even if it meant losing his own life. If the final battle was between him and another person who was part of the seven, he would certainly choose to die rather than kill them. _But _if the final battle was between him and one of my tributes, Percy would certainly kick their sorry asses and would be victorious. Pretty soon the District 5 chariot paraded out.

Pulled by two northern _venti_ in horse-form, this chariot was made of metal dyed purple and decorated with golden flecks. Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, former praetor of the twelfth legion, bane of Kronos' throne, slayer of Krios, and enemy of Porphyrion held his head high. His blonde hair shined like yellow fire in the torchlight and his face looked like that of a Roman statue. His blue eyes swirled around his pupil like a whirlpool and glittered with intelligence and experience. Jason was wearing silver armor made up of overlapping plates with an amethyst inserted in the middle of the chest plate. A purple praetor's cape flowed behind him and on his head were golden laurels. The best part was that every so often lightning flashed across Jason's armor, illuminating the silver like the clouds of a storm.

Clothing-wise, Jason was the best so far. Hunger Games-wise, Jason was still one of the best choices. He probably had the most powerful godly parent out of all of the tributes; Jupiter was the god of gods. His son held immense power combat-wise and he has the natural ability to lead. I'm not judging the tributes power-wise (as in control over the elements) since their powers will be disabled.

All of a sudden the crowd began chanting, "_Fulminata! Fulminata! Fulminata! Fulminata!" _It took me a while to realize that they were chanting the twelfth legion motto: Armed with lightning. Jason Grace, son of Jupiter the lightning god, was in fact, armed with lightning. I guess that that was Jason's motto now. After the crowd's cheering died down, the sixth chariot came out.

Everyone gasped. Two horses made of shadow reared and bucked as they trotted out, their red eyes gleaming. They pulled a black chariot that was decorated with silver studs. Raven kept her obsidian back eyes forward. Her stringy hair was braided over one shoulder and I could clearly see the huge scar that marred the eye she usually covered with her hair. She was wearing obsidian armor with silver trimming and a cape of shadows danced behind her as her chariot paraded forward. She radiated pure darkness. Everyone was silent for a moment before breaking out into chaos.

"Raven! Raven! Raven!" They chanted. Raven was probably the girl tribute who had been most bet on. She was powerful, witty, and imposing. Her figure stood out amongst the other chariots like a drop of ink in white paint. I knew that Raven had a chance of being in the finale. She was one of my choices as well. She was a good leader, contained, emotionless, and most of all, ruthless. She wouldn't pity anyone she killed, even if she killed one of my other soldiers that I nominated. She wouldn't make any alliances if I knew her; she liked to go solo. I would've nominated a son of Hermes to be in the transportation District, but Raven didn't fit into any of the open slots and I just _had _to enter her into the Hunger Games; her power was too great for this opportunity to be wasted.

After Raven came the District 7 chariot. Cara Ansford, child of Apollo. Two fiery stallions sashayed out of the tunnel, pulling a red chariot trimmed with gold. Cara was dressed in the old-timey clothes of women in the 1600's. Most would've called that ugly, but she made the red dress with yellow trim (which matched the chariot perfectly) look beautiful. The fabric shimmered so it looked like the sun was reflecting on it and Cara's brown hair, which was curled, shimmered with golden dust and was neatly entwined with herbs, since her father was the god of medicine and healing. Her dress' shine formed into words; poetry, music, and other literature flashed across the fabric in sparkly letters. She was drop. Dead. Gorgeous.

When it came to the Hunger Games, Cara was a decent choice. She always knew who the best allies would be and after they helped her through most of the Games she'd mercilessly turn on them, leaving her the victor. She was strategic and could make good use of the materials around her, including musical instruments! She could use her gift of music to charm anyone who confronted her. She was dangerous in that sort of devil-disguised-as-a-puppy sort of way. The problem was that she wasn't too bent on winning.

To win the Hunger Games, you needed to _want_ to win, or at least _not want _to die. She didn't really give her all if her heart wasn't in it, and the Hunger Games were no exception. When I'd announced who the four tributes I nominated were, she had not been too excited to kill some of the greatest heroes of all time. She simply accepted that that was her fate and began to shun me and give me the silent treatment. As if that was going to get her out of it!

After Cara's chariot disappeared out of the corner of my eye, the next chariot came into view. District 8, the weaving District. My utmost _least favorite _District. But that didn't make its chariot any less dazzling. Two pegasi that were covered in spotted feathers from head to hoof trotted out, pulling a beautiful white-and-gold chariot made of ivory. The daughter of Athena waved and blew kisses at the crowd. Her eyes and nose were hidden by a mask that made her look like her nose was a beak and made her eyes surrounded in owl feathers. She had golden circlets around her wrists and biceps and she was boasting a beautiful assortment of golden armor that had intricate designs carved into it. A billowing white cape with an owl embroidered in golden thread flew behind her. Everyone seemed to have capes.

The daughter of Athena was not on my list of potential tribute I would sponsor and bet on. She had too much brains and too little brawn, though I knew she could fight like a demon if given a dagger. She simply was not powerful enough. I knew she'd probably make an alliance with Cara and they'd make a deadly duo, but eventually Cara would kill her in cold blood. Well, at least that's what I thought would happen.

After Annabeth came Piper McLean, whom every monster now called the Killer Hottie. She came out on a bright pink chariot pulled by two pure-white unicorns. She looked utterly stunning. Her hair was brushed to perfection and braided with roses the color of fresh blood. She wore a sleeveless Greek gown with golden circlets and a bunch of jewelry. She had the perfect amount of makeup on and her dark skin shined a caramel color in the torchlight. Her kaleidoscope eyes changed color as she waved at the crowd and blew kisses, causing several straight male monsters to faint and at least three female lesbian ones to swoon.

"KILL-ER HOT-TIE! KILLER HOT-TIE!" All of the monsters on Team Piper (who were mostly male monsters who didn't really care about actually winning bets and more focused on how hot the daughter of Aphrodite was) shouted. One of the Laistrygonian Giants who was close to me ripped off his sweatshirt to reveal a white T-shirt that had the words 'PIPER + RAMONE 4 EVAH' on it. I guess his name was Ramone. Piper blushed at her new nickname and threw both hands in the air. Thousands of her followers followed her lead and it was like an unintentional wave.

Piper McLean, though, was a really good choice and I'm not just saying that because she has a good rack and excellent curves. I know, I know; I can't predict the future. I don't know who the victor is going to be. I'm just basing it on common facts. Piper was deceptive and even though her charmspeak would be ineffective in the Hunger Games, she was still pretty persuasive. She could pretend to be small and weak so the tributes would save her for last so that they could have it easy during the finale. Wrong. I saw how she could hack at those wheat stems and I've seen her rebel against her peacekeepers, which never ended well for her. She had a strong spirit and could fight like a freaking demon if it meant preserving her own life. She would catch anyone off-guard with skills like that; people would take one look at her Beauty Queen appearance and immediately single her out as weak, when in fact she was as strong as any other demigod.

After Piper's chariot disappeared down Tribute Road, Frank Zhang appeared. Holy crap! His chariot was a blood red and covered in black gems. His horses…screw that they weren't even horses; they were hippogriffs (Exactly like a gryphon but instead of the backside of a lion it has the backside of a horse)! It was Frank and his stylist's way of saying screw the system. Frank…gods that boy was _ripped_ and that's coming from the commander of part of the Giants' army who has seen Laistrygonian Giants who have trained for centuries just to get their muscles bulging. Frank looked like freaking Dwayne Johnson. His chest was bare and covered with bulky, powerful, corded muscles. His hair was close-cropped. Roman style. He looked like he could crack a boulder in half just by looking at it. He was wearing a praetor's cape and ripped jeans that just added to his menacing appearance.

Frank Zhang was a _beast. _No pun intended. I've seen him turning into animals in District 10. That was not going to be disabled in the Games since it's been in the Zhang family for generations upon generations and not just hereditary from Mars. Just with that he had the upper hand. He also had amazing battle skills and leading skills. He was smart and brutish, a deadly combination. I bet you're thinking, _"How could Frank _possibly _lose?" _Well Frank did have his weaknesses. Despite his '_IMMA SWAG AND AWESOME GANSTA WHOS GON KICK YO SORRY ASS' appearance, h_e was soft-hearted and I doubted he's killed another demigod before. If you take away his friends, especially Percy and Hazel, he is left exposed. He will be too caught up in grief to even try to win. Still, Frank could man up and win the Games to avenge his fallen comrades. Angry and vengeful Frank plus Hunger Games equals unstoppable.

I had been waiting for this moment. I leaned forward as the last of my four nominated tributes was wheeled out in his chariot to represent District 11. Xavier Wilston. That son of Aristaeus had so much potential, yet he decided not to use it. I had no idea why. I'd seen him win battles with spears, swords, daggers, clubs, hammers, harpoons, bows and arrows, tridents, torches, catapults, guns, cannons, nun-chucks, _a stick, _AND EVEN A FREAKING _FORK_. It helped that his father was the god of useful arts such as farming, bee-keeping, and using anything to your advantage. That fifteen-year-old could slice away armies upon armies with his trusty sword and his backup pair of nun-chucks that he always seemed to bring with him. **(A/N: Sorry Evermyst but I had to change his weapon of choice a little…a lot.) **I knew he didn't like fighting in the army. I knew it was only because we had blackmail. But for a few moments in the glorious climax of battle I could see him really putting his heart out there and giving his all. That's why I nominated him.

I had no idea why anyone would bet against Xavier. I know, I know; he was working in the freaking agriculture District and really didn't get to show his stuff when he was farming, but still. He created so many useful tools using the land that was given to him to make his work easier. As I always say; it's good to hire a mildly lazy person to get the job done, for they will find the easiest way to do it. Xavier only had one weakness; his brothers. He needed to win the Games in order to get back to them and he could panic when he was in danger by thinking that he'd never see his siblings again.

Xavier's chariot was pulled by two plain and simple white pegasi. He boasted a sparkly, green toga that was flecked with gold, but that wasn't the thing I was waiting for. He looked up and we locked gazes. _Don't waste the opportunity. _I tried to tell him silently. _Flash them the wings. _As if he'd heard me, all of a sudden two angel's wings sprouted from Xavier's back and extended to a shocking wingspan of twenty feet. The crowd screamed and roared, throwing flowers and chanting his name. Xavier gave me a thankful look and he waved at all of his followers good-naturedly. The wings weren't a part of the costume; they were actual wings that Xavier was born with. Aristaeus is usually depicted with angel's wings and apparently his children have them too. It is a symbol of purity, which is ironic since Xavier is a virgin on top of being part-angel. It was surprising; who wouldn't want to sleep with an angel? I knew that Xavier was far from pure, though. His soul was dark from seeing so many horrors and experiencing so many awful events. I knew he would show no mercy.

Last but not least came the tribute I was most interested in; the one who showed the most potential out of all of them, even Raven and Percy. Representing District 12, the coal mining District, was Nico di Angelo. His obsidian chariot was pulled by two skeleton horses that strutted down the road as if they owned the place. At first I was disappointed; the son of Hades was only dressed in a simple black leather jacket, white T-shirt, and jeans. WTF!? Cinna wasted so much potential. Then Nico's chariot pulled into the light and everyone gasped as his form flickered and he turned into a skeleton. You could still see the ghostly and faded form of his body, but his bones stood out a pale ghostly white. He looked exactly like a _Spartus. _

There was a pause as everyone stared at Nico in awe and shock. Then they went berserk, screaming: "Ghost King! Ghost King! Ghost King!" Ramone even took out a black sharpie and scribbled out Piper's name on his shirt and replaced it with Nico.

"I'm gay now! LOVE ME NICO LOVE ME." Ramone tried to bellow over the deafening scream of the crowd, but even if he was screaming at the top of his lungs his voice was still drowned out. Nico smirked but didn't wave or try to look friendly. He just kept his eyes trained forward, his hands gripping the front of the chariot. Wow, the reactions that the other tributes received were _nothing _compared to this…this…this chaos. I smiled to myself as I sat back. Nico would definitely have the most sponsors out of all of the tributes, his only rival being none other than Perseus Jackson himself. He was cocky, smart, hardy, and powerful even without his powers. Nothing more needed to be said. Now all I had to do was try and think over all of this noise. Who should I sponsor? Who should I bet on? A lot of money was on the line. There were just so many good choices and opportunities, but all of them could come back and bite you in the ass later on. I'd have to sleep on it.


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N) Sorry for not updating sooner, guys but I thought I needed a bit of a break after that last chapter since I spent three days straight working on it. I would've taken a longer time off, but this chapter was calling to me. I've been looking forward to it ever since I started this crossover. Again, this is a chapter split into two parts because it is so long. I promise that chapters will be shorter in the future, but for now I have split the tributes in half; Districts 1-6 in one chapter and Districts 7-12 in the next. **

**BUT THERE IS ONE THING. I HAVE A PROBLEM; I HAVE NO IDEA WHO IS GOING TO WIN THE HUNGER GAMES. AT ALL. SO I DECIDED TO LET YOU GUYS PICK BETWEEN THE TRIBUTES BASED ON THE FACTS THAT LUCIFER POINTED OUT. YOU HAVE TO DECIDE, WHETHER IT BE ONE OF THE OCs OR ONE OF THE SEVEN OR NICO. IT'S UP TO YOU. **

**Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue, I own nothing and neither should you!**

**Maria POV**

"OMG Maria, I love your hair!" The monster sitting next to me, an empousa, giggled and twirled a lock of my hair with her finger. I nearly slapped her hand away. I gave her a look and she quickly untangled her hand from my hair. Nobody would mess with the child of Ares. The seat next to me was empty. WTF? I had specifically reserved front row seats for me and my babe. Where the hell was he? I looked around the huge auditorium, but he was nowhere in sight. The seats that weren't reserved were already filled up and the monsters who actually arrived at the time you were supposed to and not earlier were forced to stand against the wall.

"C'mon. C'mon. Where are you?" I muttered to myself as I desperately looked around for my boyfriend. The empousa sitting next to me chuckled.

"Calm down, dearie. Nobody would be late for Julius Caesar's talk show! Besides, he still has," she checked her watch, "ten minutes. Don't sweat it. He'll be here any second." It was true; the stage, which I'd gotten seats right in front of for a fairly expensive price, was dark and the screens behind the two smooth white, chairs where Caesar and the tributes talked displayed the Giants' symbol. It gave off a faint light, which added onto the torches that burned with blue fire. Still, it was fairly dark in here.

Grudgingly, I sat down. This was supposed to be our night. We were supposed to spend time together. I understood if he missed it; he was the Command Major Sergeant of the Giants' army, he had a lot of responsibility. I hoped that he was just running late. It had been three days since the Tribute Parade, three days since I hung out with my babe. He acted as if he barely noticed that Id sat down next to him right before the parade started. I'd observed how he'd stared at all of the tributes with a hungry gleam in his eye as they passed.

He wasn't 100% evil; he still had a soft spot in his heart that he reserved for me. He may look scary, being the son of Thantos and all, but he was actually really sweet. I groaned and tugged at the red dress that I usually never wore unless I was out with my boyfriend. If he didn't come, all of this fanciness and discomfort was for nothing.

That's when the doors in the back of the auditorium opened. A particularly cold gust of air washed out and everyone turned to look. Standing in the doorway in a black tux with a blood-red tie, holding a bouquet of roses, was my boyfriend.

"COMMAND MAJOR SERGEANT LUCIFER SCHRIEFFER, SIR!" all of the monsters who were in the army or formerly in the army stood up and saluted him, including me. Lucifer looked around the room with an obsidian gaze that could tear anyone in half. When he saw me waving to him from the front row with one hand in a salute and the other fluttering wildly in the air, his gaze softened and a ghost of a smile played on his thin lips.

"At ease." He told all of the monsters and everyone sat down. He walked down the aisle and sat next to me, presenting me with the beautiful bouquet of roses.

"For you." He said softly and gently, in a tone he never used when talking to anyone else.

"Aww, you're such a cutie." I giggled and kissed his nose, plucking the bouquet from his soft, pale, scarred, thin fingers. He chucked; a warm, rich sound that would appeal to anyone and he wrapped his arm around me.

"I hope I didn't upset you. I thought of the roses at the last minute." He apologized sheepishly.

"Shut up, you could never upset me." I laughed and kissed him. He looked me over.

"You look beautiful. I like the dress and the new hairdo." He said sweetly and I just wanted to cuddle him up. To others he was a statue of stone; cold, heartless, judging, and always watching. But to me he was just a little teddy bear. Fluffy, cuddly, and utterly adorable. He brushed some hair that had come out of my two braids. For this special event I died one side of my hair strawberry blonde and the other platinum blonde. Then I braided both sides into cute little pigtail braids. My actual hair color was brown, but Lucifer said I looked beautiful no matter what I was wearing or how I did my hair.

"You look more than handsome." I say and he smiles, revealing pearly white teeth. I think he only genuinely smiles when he's around me. Before the glorious Giants took over, Lucifer's mother was killed by Zeus. He joined the Giants with hopes of getting away from his past, but he found honor, respect, and most of all love in the Giants' army. He rose to the top and now he was the highest-ranking demigod in the entirety of the army. The only monsters who outrank him are the Giants, Gaea, the Giants' escort, and Sergeant Major of the Giants' army, Khione. She was the only deity in the Giants' army, and she had quickly risen to the top.

I used to be in the Giants' army, but when we were storming the Argo II one of the tributes, that stupid Valdez, blasted my face with hot flames. I went blind in one eye and I still have a huge burn scar that covered that side of my face. I usually hid it with makeup, but I could not hide the milky white eye that was forever blinded by the heat. I couldn't return to the army; they wouldn't let me. They claimed I was just too disabled. Even Lucifer, my encouraging boyfriend who always stood up for me, told me one night that he didn't want me getting hurt and that I should stay off the battlefield. I didn't blame him; enemies could sneak up on my blind side and kill me. I was that exposed.

I snuggled against his side and felt the warmth pulsing from his body. He looked down at me and tousled my hair, something only he could do without being slain. He carefully took the braids out ad let my two-colored hair fall around my shoulders.

"I like it better like that." He told me quietly. "You look more like you."

That's when the torches dimmed and went out. Light exploded onstage and the symbol of the Giants turned into the emblem for the Caesar Show. Music blared from the loudspeakers and the audience cheered as Julius Caesar walked out, his hands held high. He was wearing silver Roman armor and golden laurels. His brown hair, dyed an electric blue, framed his chiseled face perfectly. He smiled at the crowd and adjusted his microphone, making the speakers screech.

"Geez, who invited Medusa here?" Julius scoffed and flashed a smile to the cameramen who were videotaping. Everyone let out a hearty laugh, including me and Lucifer. He had such a sense of humor and he was so relaxed. His talk show was on the top charts and had five stars. If you looked closely, you could see right through him, but that didn't prevent him from looking so lively and solid. He sat down in one of the chairs and flashed a peace sign to the crowd, who mirrored him.

"Okay ladies and gentlemen, monsters of all ages! I welcome you to the Caesar show! I am your host, Gaius Julius Caesar, but you all can call me Caesar for short. Am I right?" We cheered and clapped as he took a bow. When the commotion died down, Caesar continued, "For the past month you have fallen in love with our tributes. You've seen them in action in the Districts as we, the people of the Capitol, watched in awe as they revealed their skill and courage. We've suffered with them and watched them blow us off of our feet in flying colors as they rolled down Tribute Road in their respective chariots. But how come they know so much about the Capitol and we know so little about them? This will fix that! I present to you: Talking with the Tributes!"

The words '_Talking with the Tributes'_ appeared in golden script on the screens behind Caesar. Music played as we clapped. "Settle down. SETTLE DOWN! You monsters! Oh wait, you are monsters." The crowd chuckled at this and Caesar shrugged, earning him another bout of laughter from the audience. "So, each and every one of the tributes will be here today to talk to us about themselves. It's not boasting so don't get excited. We can even fall into an even deeper love with them as they reveal their pasts to us. There is one girl out there who really, despite her age, shines like a star. She is a jewel of a girl and a little sweetheart too. I present the one, the only, HAZEL LEVESQUUUUE!" The crowd went wild as Hazel walked out onstage; blushing, curtsying, waving, and blowing kisses. Her dress shimmered with golden sparkles and drifted around her ankles. She was also wearing a beautiful scarf that was encrusted with diamonds.

She sat in the chair opposite Caesar's. They exchanged smiles and awkward snippets of conversation that were drowned out by the roar of the crowd. "So, Hazel. How do you feel about being the youngest in the Hunger Games?" Caesar asked once the audience had quieted.

"It's a little nerve-wracking actually. It's kinda scary if you ask me." Hazel replied in an adorable, sweet little voice.

"Oh, it is?"

"Yeah. To know that everyone actually thinks they can win against me is pretty freaky."

Caesar laughed along with the crowd, "Well then we'd better not get on your bad side. So tell me Hazel, do you have any love interests?"

"Yes, yes I do actually. And he's very special to me in every perfect way. He's a big brute when it comes to others but he's a cuddly panda to me." At Hazel's comment I squeezed Lucifer's hand. He didn't squeeze back and I looked up at his face, which was creased with thought and calculating.

"Oooooh." The crowd murmured amongst themselves. I swear heard the phrases "Whatever it is, I ship it," "It's that Valdez kid, I know it," and "I thought she would be lesbian."

"Well don't keep us in the dark, Hazel! Who is it?" Caesar demanded, grinning.

"We've only been dating for a year now but after all we've been through he's more to me than ever. He's charming, brave, caring, and strong."

"Yes?" Caesar was literally bouncing in his seat as he leaned in, as did the audience.

"His name is Frank. Frank Zhang."

At this, the crowd went berserk, yelling, "FRAZEL! FRAZEL! FRAZEL!" I clapped and cheered along with them, but I kept sneaking glances at Lucifer. I hated when he was like this; when he always took these things too seriously. Then again there was money on the line, so he kind of had to be serious.

"Really?" Caesar whistled. "Are you guys aiming to becoming the Star-Crossed Lovers?"

Hazel shook her head, "No, not really, though it would be appreciated. To become the Star Crossed Lovers a couple shouldn't have to try. They should just be themselves and that's what Frank and I plan on doing."

"And there you have it; words of wisdom from our adorable Hazel Levesque." Caesar told the crowd with a smile. Caesar interviewed Hazel a little more, talking about backstory stuff and feelings about possibly dying during the games. Stuff like that, but I wasn't listening; my concentration was trained on Lucifer. I shook his arm and he looked at me. For a moment his gaze was hard but then it softened.

"Yes, sweetheart?" he whispered in my ear as not to disturb anyone.

"Are you okay?" I asked him lowly. I was truly concerned for my boyfriend. Every day he seemed to get more distant from me and more concentrated on the Games.

"What makes you think that I'm not okay?" Lucifer asked, puzzled.

"Never mind. I'm just worried about you." I replied quietly.

"If you say so." He replied in a soft and soothing voice. That's then I realized that the second tribute, Tetro Valcan, had come onstage. He was wearing a muscle shirt and jeans. His hair was gelled up into a Mohawk that was spray-dyed green and his muscle shirt revealed all of his swirling tattoos.

"Um, Tetro?" Caesar asked, looking in disgust at the tribute from District 2's casual wear.

"Oops." Tetro said and spun around. All of a sudden his casual wear was a tuxedo. It just changed. His spray-dyed, green Mohawk changed into a neatly brushed head of brown hair that fell to his shoulders. Tetro adjusted his black tie that was decorated with pictures of smiley faces with X's for eyes.

"How did you…ANOTHER VICTORY FOR MIMI PIPKINS!" Caesar shouted. "Come, Tetro. Sit." Tetro joined Caesar on the chairs.

"Looking good Caesar." Tetro said smoothly. Caesar blushed.

"Oh stop it, you." He said sheepishly, making the audience laugh. "So Tetro, let's start with the backstory stuff." I swear that the son of Enyo tensed, but he immediately put on a poker face.

"Sure." He said, but I could tell that his voice was strained. If I wasn't so good at reading people I wouldn't have noticed it.

"So it says here that you were abused by your mortal father. How do you feel about that?" Caesar asked, his voice full of pity as he gestured to the papers on his lap that told him about each of the tributes.

"Well I honestly couldn't care less; that guy is dead as hell right now." Tetro snorted and leaned back in his chair nonchalantly, which earned him a laugh from the audience.

"Ooh. Feisty." Caesar noted, shaking his fist in the air.

"Rar." Tetro growled playfully and made claws with his fingers.

"Trick question. Do you have a love life?" The host asked the tribute from District 2. At this, Tetro laughed heartily, though I had no idea why it was so funny to him.

"Listen, Caesar. I never received much love in my life. My mother abandoned me and left me at the mercy of my brutal father while my aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins shunned us because I was the son of two unmarried people. I ran away. I sought out the Giants' army and I was accepted there, but the unsaid rule was 'to love is to destroy.' If you love someone, you show weakness. It will destroy you. I love and am loved by no one. I don't care about love. Aphrodite/Venus and Eros/Cupid can go screw themselves." He replied icily. Caesar put his hands up in surrender.

"He has a way with words, doesn't he?" Caesar asked the crowd. It was a rhetorical question, of course. "Well, Tetro. We love you. We are all your biggest fans; am I right?" The crowd cheered Tetro's name and called out stuff like, "I love you!" and "Marry me!" Tetro's expression remained stony, but he managed a smile, which looked more like a grimace. I turned to Lucifer.

"Is that really an unsaid rule in the Giants' army?" I whispered to him as Caesar asked Tetro a few more questions. He didn't reply for a long time. After Tetro walked offstage, waving and flexing, Lucifer turned to me. His black eyes glittered like shadows on the surface of a lake.

"That isn't an unsaid rule. It _is _a rule. The Giants' army's motto is '_Ut enim amant est ut delebimus'_; translated from Latin to English as 'to love is to destroy.'" He growled. "I don't believe that though. I am perfectly not destroyed when I am with you. I feel like a better person. _Ut enim amant ut enim convalescunt_ is my motto; to love is to thrive."

"Aww, you're so sweet." I say and kiss him. But I was in deep thought. Was it really wise to willingly let my boyfriend go out to fight in an army that taught its soldiers that loving someone means to destroy yourself? That definitely wasn't right, though I knew I would get arrested if I said that out loud.

**(A/N: I know I'm taking it from the Mortal Instruments but I think it's a really cool quote. Also I translated it on Google Translate being the lazy bum I am so if any of you know Latin tell me if it's right or wrong in the review and if it is wrong tell me what it actually is.) **

"Next we have the handy, hardy, hyper, happy, boy! The one, the only; FLAAAAMING VALDEZZZZ!" Caesar announced and everyone cheered. Leo Valdez strut out to center stage as if he owned the place. His signature messy, curly brown hair was all over the place as usual. He was wearing classic Greek armor but with a twist; instead of metal it was made of obsidian. Volcanic glass could cut you just by touching it lightly and this guy was wearing armor made out of it!

"Leo in the house!" the tribute shouted and made peace signs with his fingers. He collapsed onto the chair and grinned as he received a round of applause and an uproar of cheering. "Sup Caesar my man?"

"Nothing much, just hosting one of the biggest and the best talk show ever. You know, the usual."

"I can see that." The two fist-bumped, earning a laugh from the audience.

"So, Mr. Valdez-" Caesar began, but the son of Hephaestus cut him off.

"Please, Caesar. No formalities. I hate formalities. Just call me Leo." He told the host casually.

"Are you sure? We are in front of a live audience." Caesar pointed out. He pushed a few strands of his blue hair out of his face in an irresistible manner.

"Well I do go by the name LEO BAD BOY SUPREME VALDEZ." Leo replied, flexing muscles that were nonexistent. All of the monsters who were on Team Leo cheered and chanted his name. One even called out, "Leo will you marry me!?"

Leo blushed. "Aww guys you shouldn't have. There's enough Leo to go around." This received another uproar from Team Leo.

After the cheering died down Caesar spoke, "Both you and I know that you are at a major disadvantage here. How do you plan to win the Hunger Games?" At this, Leo perked up. He stroked his chin melodramatically and waggled his eyebrows, making several members of Team Leo swoon.

"You have a great point, Caesar. Now I may not be as buff as Tetro, Jason, or Frank and I may not be as smart as Annabeth and Cara, _but _I can negotiate. I feel that alliances are key to survival in the Hunger Games for scrawny, but madly handsome and smart, teens like me. If you get an alliance with a much more muscular tribute, it'll be a deadly duo of brains and brawn. Sadly at the end if we made it to the finale they'd kick my sorry ass, but whatever. I'm aiming towards _not dying, _but getting to the finale would be okay too; as long as one of my friends win I'm cool. Screw that I'm hot, very hot; both physically and literally." When he finished, Leo stood up and set himself on fire. The entire audience exploded into applauding and shouting. Leo winked as flames dances across his armor and skin, even in his hair. He extinguished himself and walked offstage, blowing kisses and winking at his followers, causing more than one monster to faint.

"Okay, Leo seems hyper and ready to go! But he has competition. I present to you the Hero of Olympus! PERRRRSEUS JACKSON!" Caesar called and Perseus walked on, his head set forward and his expression like a mask. He didn't smile or wave, only focused on the task at hand. When you looked at his sparking silver armor you didn't see a reflection; you saw huge waves tumbling and crashing into each other as rain poured down on a stormy night. Awesome. A sea-green cape fluttered behind him and moved in an entrancing way; like violent waves on a rough sea.

"Hello, Caesar." Perseus greeted flatly as he sat down.

"That's it? Just a hello? You don't seem too excited or enthusiastic. C'mon Percy I know you have more to offer than that. Speak!" Caesar insisted.

"It's not that I'm not excited, Caesar; it' just that I'm angry." The son of Poseidon growled. He gave a pointed look at the cameras. Uh-oh. If this was going where I thought this was going Percy would be beaten senseless. Lucifer tightened his grip on her hand to the point where it was cutting off her circulation. I looked up to see that his eyes were full of something that I usually never saw; fear. I wasn't surprised; everyone feared Perseus Jackson, even if they didn't realize it. He was the most powerful demigod of all time besides Hercules.

"Angry? Tell me more."

"Well…before all of this happened I broke up with my girlfriend Annabeth. Actually she broke up with me." Percy snarled and cracked his knuckles. I almost let out a sigh of relief; Percy wasn't thinking of rebelling. Smart boy.

"Wait, so you mean there will be no Percabeth in this Hunger Games? My, my Perseus; you gave up immortality and fell into Tartarus for her." Caesar whistled.

"So does that mean he's available?" A feminine voice called from somewhere in the crowd. At this comment everyone, even Caesar and Percy, broke out into laughter. Percy's laugh sounded nothing like any laugh I've ever heard. It was strained, hollow, and quiet, as if he laughed too loud he would be beaten. His green eyes reflected his pain as clear as if I was reading his emotions on paper. It was the laugh of a person who'd endured too much.

"I guess so." Percy snorted, but there was no humor in the comment.

"Percy, you and I need to be true with each other. Are you hearing this?" Caesar asked in a semi-serious tone, but he was still smiling all the same. Percy nodded. "What do you fear most about the Hunger Games?" The room went silent and you could taste the anticipation in the air. Percy sighed and folded his hands in his lap, looking down at them. I swear he was just trying to hide his misty eyes from the crowd.

"Well, besides killing my friends I think I fear…enjoying it. I'm afraid that when I kill someone, whether it be one of my friends or one of the other tributes I have yet to speak with, I'm afraid that I'll like it. I'm afraid of becoming a monster; an evil, vile, ruthless killing machine. I don't want that to happen." Percy replied quietly. Caesar nodded with understanding, a pitying look on his face.

"I see. But Percy you know that killing is inevitable in the Hunger Games. Everyone knows that you can't just not kill anyone, you'll have to do it some time. When that time comes, what would you do?" Caesar questioned. I felt everyone lean in.

"I think that's classified information. I don't want my enemies figuring me out." Percy scoffed and winked at the crowd, causing us to laugh.

"Very well. Can you tell us your backstory?"

"Maria?" I heard Lucifer whisper into my ear.

"Yeah?" I replied, not looking back at him.

"Do you like the idea of the Hunger Games? Because I know it's uncharacteristic of me to feel remorse, but I'm kind of regretting drafting those four soldiers of mine into the Hunger Games. I was thinking…they have lives too, you know? I was so bent on having one of my soldiers be the victor that I wasn't thinking clearly. I was only thinking of myself and not of what they would think. I feel…guilt. I know only one of them may live and I can't take it. It's killing me. Mitchell has a family to return to. If he doesn't live…" Lucifer's voice trailed off as we only partially paid attention to Percy's heartbreaking and utterly depressing history.

"Don't worry, babe. It's not your fault." I tried to be as comforting as possible, but a voice nagged in the back of my mind that it _was_ Lucifer's fault. Not only was I trying to convince my boyfriend of his innocence, I was trying to convince myself. Lucifer didn't reply.

"We feel your pain, Percy and we will suffer with you every second you are in that arena. You can count on it." Caesar said with finality. "Thank you for sharing with us." Percy stood up, flashed a smile that looked more like a grimace, and marched offstage with his head held high.

"So, everyone. We know of Percy and his great deeds, but what about the deeds of his biggest rival? I introduce you to the smart, the cocky, the electric JAAAASON GRACE!" Jason ran onstage, waving.

He raised his fist and shouted, "_Fulminata!_"

"ARMED WITH LIGHTNING!" We all roared in reply and raised our own fists. Jason grinned and bowed, showing off his purple tuxedo to the crowd. His blue eyes sparkled like sunlight on water and his smile was dazzling. All of a sudden he clapped his hands twice and a miniature lightning storm brewed around him. The audience went wild.

"So, you're not going to sit?" Caesar asked Jason, staring in awe as clouds swirled around him and lighting flashed.

"I'd better not." Jason replied, looking down at the storm with a playful frown on his face.

"Agreed." Caesar snorted and there was a collective chuckle.

"Nice hair." Jason complimented and Caesar ran his hand through it.

"I know right? Technology these days is _way _better than the technology back in ancient Rome." He responded proudly. Jason managed a pained smile. Caesar continued, "So I heard that you are a former praetor of the twelfth legion. Do you think this gives you an advantage?"

"Well, it can go both ways. When it comes to decision making, yes. But when you make an alliance it is supposed to be working together under a truce, but if one of the partners takes over and seizes control, it's not really an alliance. I know that I tend to automatically assume the role of leader since leading is what I do best, but that trait will certainly not benefit me in the arena." Jason replied. Thunder rumbled in his storm cloud and lightning arced down, but he didn't really pay attention to it.

"I agree, Mr. Grace. If you were to ally with anyone, who would it be?" Julius Caesar asked him.

"I'm still thinking about it." He snorted. "There are so many gifted people participating in these Games. I wish I could ally with all of them, but then it wouldn't be the Games, would it?" Jason replied sourly.

_That's complete garbage. _I thought to myself. _He doesn't like everyone. He's trying to play the role of peacemaker in that 'everyone's-my-friend-and-we-should-be-nice-to-each-other' way._

Jason's expression was guarded and his ice-blue eyes, which had once been friendly, had turned cold and hard. I knew that face all too well; I saw it every time I looked at my boyfriend.

"There you have it folks, Jason Grace!" At Caesar's dismissal, Jason stalked offstage with his shoulders hunched and his eyes trained on the ground. "He's sweet but he's also a bit of a grump, wouldn't you agree?" Caesar asked the crowd. We nodded in agreement. "Alrighty everyone! Next, we have RAAAAVEN NIGHTSHAAAADE!" Everyone clapped as Raven walked onstage. Her head was held high and her chin was up. Her back was straight and she didn't really seem to put much effort into it, as if this was how she normally walked.

She was wearing a simple black dress trimmed with silver. It was beautiful in that simple sort of way. She sat across from Caesar and looked at the crowd, her obsidian eyes boring into us. Her gaze locked with mine when she saw Lucifer with his arm around me. Shivers raced up and down my spine and she finally tore her eyes away from me when Caesar asked her a question.

"Hello? Raven? Anybody home?"

"Sorry Caesar," Surprisingly, Raven's words were as smooth as silk but still as sharp as a sword, "Just…daydreaming."

"Daydreaming? Well we all do that. I'll repeat the question; do you think you have a chance of winning the Games?"

"Yes. I have experience in war and have trained since I was five. Lucif-I mean, a guy, told me that I was strong. That I was powerful. I'm going to try and win for him, because he believed in me." At this, I turned to my boyfriend, who looked down at me.

"Is there anything that is going on between you two that I should know about?" I hissed icily. Lucifer shook his head vigorously.

"No. Not at all. She's so much younger than me. Why would you be suspicious?"

"I don't know...it seems that you two have history that you never told me about."

"Don't worry, she's just one of my students and one of my soldiers. There's nothing to worry about."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Well, well, well Raven. Is this _guy _a special someone?" Caesar inquired, waggling his eyebrows. The audience laughed, but Lucifer and I didn't. I swear I heard him mutter, "Screw you, Caesar."

"Sorta. I met him after I ran away from home. And that was after…after…" Raven stuttered. I'd never seen her this nervous before. She fiddled with her hair and her dress and she didn't meet Caesar's eyes.

"After…what?" the talk show host asked, leaning in. The crowd followed his lead.

"After my mother yelled at me…that…that I was never supposed to be born. She'd yell and shout at me for no reason because of my dad and then she'd lose herself in drinking. She cut me with a knife when she was drunk," Raven pointed to the scar on her eye, "and I became fed up with all of the abuse. I began to despise my father, Erebus, and rightly so. That bastard did nothing to help me. Nothing. So my mom was yelling at me for the fifth time that day; her words were slurred and her breath smelled of alcohol. Bottles upon bottles of whiskey littered the kitchen table and I had to admit, I was scared. She called me worthless. She called me a demon, a mistake; a monster that wasn't supposed to have been born. I could take it anymore…I lost control.

"I began screaming back at her that it wasn't my fault; it was her fault that I was the way I was. I called her an alcoholic and a liar. She began yelling back and I just…couldn't handle it. The shadows just launched out and swallowed her up. I ran away, scared of what I'd done; I'd just killed my mother. Then he found me and sort of took me in. He was…nine I think and I was five. He told me that I would be safe in the Giants' army…that nobody would be able to hurt me there. Since I had nowhere to go, I accepted. He trained me and sort of became a role model for me. We don't have any romantic history, though." The room was silent after she finished.

"Wow, Raven. Your past is very, very gloomy. Don't worry, we feel your pain. We will be with you and we have your back, you can count on us." Caesar told her soothingly. She nodded and stood up. She curtsied to the crowd and all of us clapped as she walked offstage with her head bowed; lost in her own dark memories.


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N) Ugh; Chapter Eight part two. **

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THG OR PJO**

"So audience, how are you doing so far?" Caesar asked us. He cocked an eyebrow and we all cheered in approval. "What's that? I can't hear you!" We cheered even louder at this and Caesar nodded.

"Hello everyone." Cara paraded onstage, flashing smiles to the crowd and waving. She was wearing a dress hat was literally on fire. Flames danced around the hem of the shimmering gold fabric and lapped at it as if trying to devour it. Caesar looked appalled.

"I didn't call you out yet, you little rebel you!" he scolded playfully.

"Rebel is my middle name!" Cara called out and collapsed onto the couch, making herself comfortable.

"I can see that. So tell me, Cara; how was it like to volunteer to enter the Hunger Games?" At this, Cara scoffed.

"For your information, Caesar, I did not _volunteer. _I was drafted. I hated it; some people were happy that they could stick around and care for their families, but _I _have a family. People that _I _need to take care of! They were selfish to think that I'd actually enjoy killing other demigods for the sheer fun of it; the only time you should be killing _anything _is when you're at war. I will not directly rebel, though; I have accepted my fate and that is that. I know I have little chances of winning with all of these talented tributes, but I will try my best, though I wish people could've been more _considerate_." Her eyes flashed and she glared at Lucifer as she said this. He broke his gaze away from hers and looked at the floor. I squeezed his hand reassuringly, but he didn't squeeze back.

"Wow, you sure have a way with words, Miss Cara. Were you in the Giants' army before coming here?" Caesar asked, though I know he already knew the answer and was just asking it so that Cara would reveal her backstory.

"Yes, yes I was. Well before that my mother and I lived alone in a small apartment. My father, Apollo, would stop by every now and then to check up on us, but he never really sought out the details. He never asked me why I had cuts on my arms or why mother was growing into a 400 pound beast. The truth was that she sat around on her lazy butt all day and ate like a pig. She slept most of the time like a whore and left me to do all of the housework. She claimed I could do anything since my father was a god and she set too high of expectations for me.

"She quit her job to watch TV all day while I cleaned up after her and tried to keep the house as neat as possible. Pretty soon we fell into deep debt and child services managed to find out about what was happening at home and they took me away and left my obese mother alone. A month later I found out that she'd had a heart attack and died. The scary part was that I felt almost…happy.

"I went to one of the counselors at the orphanage I was staying at, I was at least seven at the time, and told them about what I was feeling. They immediately brought me over to the Giants' army, they must've been some sort of satyr-like demigod in charge of collecting orphaned and determined demigods for the army, and I basically grew up there. I learned to trust no one. To only make allies with these who were cunning. That is how I live." Cara told Caesar, who nodded.

"I see." He mused. "So does that mean you trust nobody in this room unless they proved they were smart and determined?"

"I don't trust a single soul in here." Cara replied coldly. "The Giants' motto may be 'to love is to destroy' but I say that it's 'to trust is to destroy.' As soon as you put your trust into someone they will let you down; turn their back on you and leave you more broken than before. There are some sick, sick people in this world," She snuck a glance at Lucifer as she said this, "who will betray you just like that. They are the reason I cannot afford to trust anyone. I will lose too much."

Caesar seemed taken aback at her icy retort, but he immediately put his smile back on. "So do you have any last words to say to the audience?" Cara immediately stood up and walked to the edge of the stage, her eyes glinting murderously. She turned to Lucifer with hard and merciless eyes and their gazes locked.

"Screw you. You ruined my life and for that I will never forgive you." With that last threat she stormed offstage. Everyone was staring at him with curious eyes, but none of them dared to question him. I could feel my boyfriend shaking. His hand crushed mine, but I didn't pull away. He turned to me and I realized that his black eyes were glassy and sad. He didn't shed any tears, though, only looked at me.

"Do you still love me?" he asked. His voice was trembling.

"Of course." I replied and kissed him. He jerked away and I was taken aback.

"No, you don't. I can feel it. You want to know what I did to her, don't you?" Lucifer asked quietly. He slipped his hand out of mine and looked at the floor.

"I do, but I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. That's all, babe."

"Don't call me that." Lucifer replied icily. "If you don't love me at least act like it." My expression was as if he'd struck me. How could he think that? I've always loved him, and I always will. How could he say any different? Was he breaking up with me? It sure sounded like it. This Hunger Games thing was tearing us apart.

"Please, don't say that. I love you and that will never change." I whispered and stroked his arm gently. Lucifer's gaze met mine and a tear trickled down his cheek. He usually never cried, especially not in public. He must feel horrible. I reached up and wiped the tears off his face with my finger. He smiled, but it seemed strained.

"Cara was one-of-a-kind. She could do thinks with instruments nobody else could do; she could charm people with her music and basically make them do anything she wanted. She always had a passion for poetry and music and her voice was just…beautiful. We were on the battlefield, in the process of seizing Camp Half-Blood to be exact, and a camper, a daughter of Ares that had an electric spear, wounded her. She couldn't walk. I needed to get back to the battle since we were being overcome and the backup hadn't arrived yet. I had to leave her. I couldn't let them win. I left her propped up against a tree with nothing but a pistol with only three bullets left and I rejoined the fight. As I left her, she thought I was deserting her and leaving her to die. She screamed that I was a traitor and a liar as I ran. I will never forget that moment." he replied.

"Next up is the wise girl of Olympus, the only smart blonde-I'm kidding, the smartest blonde- Annabeth Chase please join me onstage!" Caesar announced and we roared in approval as the daughter of Athena seated herself across from Caesar. She was wearing a pearly white dress that ended just below the knees and was decorated with owls that were sewn in with golden thread. I was shocked when the owls began to move across the fabric as if they were alive. Impressive.

"Hello, Caesar." Annabeth said sweetly, but her voice sounded distant. She was staring off into space, and Caesar gave the audience a bewildered look, but he shrugged.

"You look very beautiful; do you like your stylist?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Annabeth grunted and shook her head clear; she had obviously been daydreaming, but there was something…off about her stormy grey eyes.

"Do you like your stylist?" Caesar repeated.

"Oh, of course. Why would I not?" Annabeth replied, shrugging. Those eyes of hers were driving me mad; I couldn't put my finger on where I'd seen them before. Not the color of them, but of the sort of…crazy gleam in her eyes.

"I don't know, you tell me."

"Hmm." Annabeth snorted. She didn't seem to be trying to focus on anything and I knew she was losing potential sponsors. _Step it up, girl, step it up. _I tried to tell her telepathically, but she didn't seem to receive the message.

"So, Annabeth. It says here that something happened when you were off with Lady Gaea. I assume you know what this is as well as I know?" Caesar questioned, looking down at the papers in his hand worriedly. What could Caesar be so nervous about? He'd been publically speaking all of his life and even into the afterlife. Now he was a talk show host; he didn't get stage fright. That could be bothering him so much?

At the mention of Lady Gaea's name, Annabeth's head snapped into focus. She scowled deeply and her fingernails dug into the arms of the chair. "Don't you dare mention _her _name! She ruined my life! She took everything away from me!" she bellowed with such ferocity Caesar jumped. For a moment he seemed shocked, but he quickly put on a clearly strained smile.

"Annabeth, you seem to know your condition."

"Don't say it. I already know and I don't need you of all people reminding me in front of millions of others! My life story isn't yours to snoop around in! Do you hear me!?" she screamed at the top of her lungs and stormed offstage, leaving Caesar open-mouthed. He turned to the audience, his expression serious.

"Audience, before she came to the Capitol she was Gaea's handmaiden and after she worked in the Districts and was given some time to recount her experience, she went a little…off course. When she was on the train here she was deemed legally insane; she is still cunning and not at all weak, but she has outbursts of uncontrollable anger, much to our dismay. This may case you to not want to sponsor her, but she is still the Annabeth we knew in the Districts; crafty, cunning, deadly, and fierce. She still has her spirit and she is still entitled to fight in the Games despite her condition. You can still sponsor her and don't hesitate." Caesar told us darkly and in a low tone.

Chaos broke out amongst the crowd. Monsters began to argue with each other and scream at the cameras to get the message across to the Giants that they want Annabeth bailed from the Games. They shouted, "It's not fair! Take her out of the Games!" and other things, but Caesar quieted them with a raised hand.

"It is not my job to choose whether tributes are well enough to fight in the Hunger Games, but it _is_ my job to interview the next tribute. The Killer Hottie in the flesh; Piper McLean!" Caesar announced jovially and distracted everyone from their uproar. They cheered and chanted her nickname, "Killer Hottie! Killer Hottie!" Piper strutted onstage and gods I was immediately jealous. She had curves like no other and she was so bubbly and bouncy. Her hair was combed to perfection and was braided with feathers. Her skin was flawless; she had neither freckles nor blemishes. She made even straight women drool.

"Hello!" she squealed delightedly and waved, bouncing on the balls of her feet. I knew it was an act; Piper would never squeal and she's just trying to woo any potential male monster sponsors out there. Behind her changing eyes I saw rage. Pure rage. She would gladly slit everyone in here's throats, but she A) didn't have a weapon and B) would most likely be killed in the process.

"Hello, Miss McLean! How are you doing?" Caesar asked the tribute from District 9. Piper smiled broadly, revealing aggravatingly perfect teeth. One of my canines twisted a little to the side and there was a fairly large gap between my two front teeth that was impossible to fix since monsters technically didn't wear braces and there were no more dentists anymore. How come my teeth couldn't be perfect like that?

"Fine, thank you, Caesar. There's just one problem." Piper said in a quiet and innocent voice that made several monsters swoon.

"And what's that my dear?" the talk show host questioned, leaning in to hear the answer.

"I'm sad." As she said this, male monsters everywhere began to shout that they'd do anything to make her happy and to please kiss them and other stuff. Caesar silenced them with a wave of his hand. He looked at Piper with eager eyes; she was provoking more people to watch his show just by being here, not even including the fact that she was acting all cute and innocrnt when she was really a rough-and-tough tribute who would slay anyone.

"And why would that be, Piper?"

"I have to fight against my friends." Her voice cracked and she wiped at her eyes furiously with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry I just-" she sniffled and broke down. All of the Piper fans out there began to scream and bellow in outrage as the daughter of Aphrodite wiped her tears away. Caesar handed her a tissue and she blew her nose, thanking him. This was so fake it was almost funny, but monsters were too stupid to even process that fact; she had stopped crying immediately after the uproar died down when it usually took people a long time to completely calm themselves.

"Oh dear, please, don't cry." Caesar embraced Piper and she sniffled again just for effect.

I swear I heard a Cyclopes in the seat behind me mutter, "Caesar is so lucky; he gets to hug Piper while the rest of us can only watch him hug Piper."

"I'm okay, I'm okay." She replied, making her voice shake. She was a good actress; it wasn't a surprise since her father had been one of the all-star actors that everyone adored before the newer, better Giant Age arose. "It's just that…how will I kill Jason or any of my other friends? All we wanted to do was settle down and have kids and now this." Piper gestured around her and several monsters cried out to cancel the Games. That's when I knew what Piper and the other tributes were trying to do; turn the Capitol's people against the Capitol itself in order to stop the Games. They were just trying to save their own skins.

"Aww. Are you two aiming to be the Star-crossed lovers? What's your opinion about it, since we failed to ask for your boyfriend's opinion?" Caesar asked, all the while patting Piper's back in effort to 'console' her.

"Yes. We will try our best, but I swear we will not be separated in this Hunger Games until one of us dies. Even though there's only a slim chance of surviving, I believe I can do it. If Jason dies, I'll win it for him, but if I die my last thoughts will be of his lips on mine." Piper replied quietly. Piper and Jasper fans everywhere began to cheer and clap, eventually joined by the rest of us as she walked offstage.

"We're winding down, folks! Now I introduce Frank Zhang, the animal shifter!" At Caesar's word, Frank shuffled onstage, his cheeks flushing a color usually reserved for strawberries in embarrassment and nervousness. He was wearing a tuxedo that shimmered with images of animals that pranced and prowled across the fabric.

"Hey." He said flatly as he sat down. Caesar pretended to look offended.

"That's all I get? Hey?" Julius asked.

"Pretty much." Frank replied sheepishly and several female monsters fainted because of his cute awkwardness.

"So, Mr. Zhang-"

"Just call me Frank."

"So, _Frank, _what is it about Hazel that gets you both together in a power couple known as Frazel?"

"Well…" Frank hesitated. "She's pretty…like…very pretty and her golden eyes I could stare at all day. She may be small but she's strong and brave, easily capabe of fending for herself, though I will never let her out of my sight when we get tossed into the arena as if our lives mean nothing."

"Very good choice of words, my good man." Caesar commented and slapped Frank on the back.

"Thanks…I guess." Frank replied self-consciously, his cheeks flaming.

"Can you demonstrate your animal shifting to the audience and me? We would like that, wouldn't we?" At this, the crowd roared with approval. Frank's cheeks turned even a deeper red.

"I…uh…err…" he stammered, but he go up and walked to center stage, fiddling with his tuxedo nervously. "So, what do you want me to turn into?"

"Elephant!"

"Duck!"

"Cat!"

"Lion!"

"Tiger!"

"Dog!"

"Wolf!"

All of these animal names were being shouted from the audience and they didn't stop until Caesar bellowed, "Enough!" into the microphone, causing it to squeal. He turned to Frank. "How about an iguana? Something simple." Immediately, Frank's body began to change. His skin was replaced by green scales and spines sprouted from his back and head. His hair melted into his scaly skin and his body began significantly smaller. His arms and legs became thin and equipped with needle-like claws. A long tail grew from his backside and a lizard-like beard made of a thin layer of skin loosely connected his chin to his neck. What had been once Frank Zhang was now an iguana. The spectators cheered, bellowed, howled, shouted, and roared in their approval and utter astonishment. Frank turned back into a human and shifted from foot to foot embarrassedly.

"Wow! What a sight!" Caesar cheered. "Thank you, Frank!" The tribute from District 10 waved timidly and left. "Wasn't that amazing?" he asked the crowd.

"Yes!" they roared and clapped. Caesar nodded and flashed a smile, brushing a loose strand of hair out of his face.

"Now, the second-to-last tribute; Xavier Wilston!" Caesar introduced the tribute from District 11 and when Xavier walked out, the throng went wild. Xavier was wearing a sort of white dress; it was sleeveless and it went down to his lower thighs. A golden belt was secured around his waist that was engraved with cloud designs, making the dress look manlier. He was also wearing Greek sandals and golden laurels, but the thing that set the audience off were the two angel's wings that protruded from his back.

"Those can't be real." I murmured.

"They are." Lucifer replied. I gave him a look of awe and he nodded. We returned our attention to Caesar, who had gotten up from his chair for the first time in the entire show and was now hesitantly stroking Xavier's wings.

"Whoa." Caesar exclaimed and the crowd laughed as he touched the pure white feathers as if they were alien. "Did your stylist make these for you?"

"Nope. They are one hundred percent real. I was born with them since my father, Aristaeus, is usually depicted with angel's wings. I guess I inherited them from him." Xavier chuckled at the talk show host's utter amazement.

"Sit, Xavier, sit! We have much to discuss!" Julius ushered Xavier to the seats and reclaimed his own cushiony chair. "So, what are your opinions about the other tributes and about the Games in which you will be fighting to the death against them?"

"The other tributes are okay, I guess. I still don't know their skills yet, so I haven't figured out who I want as an ally. The Games, though, will be difficult; even though I have no idea what their talents are, they are still powerful in their own individual ways." Xavier replied and crossed his legs.

"Do you have a past that will drive you to win? Or is it just a lost cause?" At this, Xavier's multicolored eyes darkened. His dark tan skin seemed to glimmer in the electric lighting, but he didn't seem to realize how AMAZINGLY GORGEOUS HE LOOKED. He was lean, but not anorexic or malnourished and not buff enough to hold his ground against Percy or Jason. His platinum hair shone like snow and seemed to give off light; it certainly complimented his angel wings.

"I have for brothers I need to take care of. They are mortal and birthed of my stepdad and my mortal mother, but they're all I've got. Before the Giants took us in, I had to steal food in order to keep all of them alive. Most of the time I gave my rations to my brothers and went hungry. Then, since I was so angry that my father wasn't helping us, I joined the Giants' army and almost died my first day in battle, but I did so trying to defend the base camp." Xavier explained with a threatening sort of undertone to it. It would make anyone cringe.

"Very well. Anything else you'd like to say?" Caesar asked.

"Eh. No." Xavier scoffed and walked off, leaving a surprised looking Caesar back in the chairs; usually everyone seized the chance to earn more sponsors, but Xavier was all like, "Screw it." I liked that. If I were to sponsor any of the tributes, it would be Xavier. But there was still one tribute that I had yet to meet; Nico di Angelo.

"I'm sorry to say, we are up to our last, but not east, tribute!" Caesar said in a melancholy tone.

"Aww." The audience complained.

"I give you, representing District 12, the Ghost King and everyone's favorite Goth kid; Nico di Angelo!" Nico stalked onstage, the expression on his face suggesting that he did not appreciate being called Goth. His hair was so much shorter than when he was in the coal mining District, but then again Cinna would probably never allow shoulder-length hair. Nico was wearing a simple tailored tux, but all of a sudden ghosts began to shimmer in the fabric, darting back and forth. We all cheered and chanted Nico's name as he sat, his lips contorted into a permanent scowl.

"Caesar." He scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Nico." Julius didn't seem at all pleased with the son of Hades, but he pretended to warm up to him because it was part of his job to be friendly. "Are you confident when it comes to winning the Games?"

"No. A thousand times no. There are eleven other tributes out there and I know that none of my friends would hurt me, but the four other tributes could easily kick my sorry ass." Nico scoffed. "Not if I kick their asses first. I honestly don't tolerate animal abuse."

"Wait…oh! I get it!" It dawned of Caesar that ass also meant donkey. Everyone laughed and Nico smirked. "That's a good one."

"I have plenty more, including puns."

"Let's make a deal, Nico." Julius said, leaning forward, supporting his head with his hands and balancing his elbows on his knees. Nico raised his eyebrows and blew a loose strand of hair out of his face nonchalantly.

"Sure, Caesar; what do you want me to do and what do I get in return?" he asked.

"If you make a pun about every tribute you meet during the Games, if not all of them, I will personally sponsor you."

"Ooh." The crowd murmured amongst themselves. Before, Caesar had claimed he wouldn't be sponsoring anyone; he 'couldn't possibly pick a favorite.' But if he sponsored Nico, it was a huge leap forward for the son of Hades; Caesar's sponsorship would provoke more monsters to sponsor him. Also, Caesar was very, very wealthy and could afford even the most expensive of the gifts that were available to give to your favorite tributes.

"If I die early in the Games, though, you have to sponsor one of my friends before they are over. It won't happen, though; I'll at least get to the final five or something. Deal?" Nico asked, holding out his hand.

"Deal." Caesar replied and they shook on it. The crowd cheered. "That will be at least some humor amidst the gore and violence. Thank you, Nico."

"No problem." The tribute replied nonchalantly. "Sponsor this son of Hades," he pointed to himself with both thumbs, "or else you're all dead to me." The crowd laughed at his horribly cheesy pun that was genius at the same time.

After Caesar managed to stop laughing, he dismissed Nico and stood up. Wiping tears from his eyes, he announced, "THAT'S ALL FOLKS! JOIN ME NEXT FRIDAY; WE'LL BE TALKING TO GAEA ABOUT HER FAVORITE MAKEUP BRANDS! THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT!" We clapped as Caesar walked offstage, waving, bowing, and blowing kisses.

Music began to play and the lights of the stage dimmed until they were out entirely, plunging us into darkness. The holograms displayed the Giants' symbol and the torches re-lit themselves. I yawned broadly and stretched as Lucifer and I got out of our seats and began to walk up the aisle, getting squashed by the thousands of monsters who were exiting along with us. After an hour long trip outside, I breathed in the cool, crisp night air.

"It's late." I said. "I'd better head home."

"Me too." Lucifer replied and kissed my forehead, waving as he melted into the crowd and disappeared. I looked up at the sky, which was shining with twinkling stars like a patterned blanket. I sighed. The Hunger Games was in a week and the tributes would be off to the Tribute House to be trained. As I walked home, I thought about how Xavier had a family to return to and how Jason and Piper couldn't even dream of losing each other. All of a sudden overwhelming rage consumed me and I sprinted the rest of the way home. The Games weren't for our entertainment; they were to show us that the Capitol ruled all and that rebelling would be our downfall.


	10. Chapter 10

**(A/N) Sorry guys about the long-ish wait; I have another fanfiction to work on but there is something else…I'm writing a book. It's a big, fat novel that takes up 290 pages in my Microsoft Word document I have it saved to on size fourteen. I know that's no excuse to be ignoring this fanfiction, but I just finished editing it and I'm off to find a publisher. **

**This is the part where stuff gets exciting. It wouldn't be a proper crossover if Katniss and Peeta weren't included, now would it? You have no idea how hard I am working right now to try and finish this fanfiction without rushing before the school years starts. My school begins very early this year; September third to be exact. When school starts I won't be able to update that fast at all. *groans***

**Me: Okay everyone, who wants to do the disclaimer?**

**Percy: Since my book series is the more dominant of the two and I am the King of Sass I get to do it!**

**Katniss: Whoa, whoa, whoa. I can kick your ass; I won the Hunger Games twice and your Hunger Games hasn't even started yet. You're a tortured insecure bastard who can't even get yelled at without breaking down. I would say that's none of my business but it kind of is. **

**Percy: *murmurs to self* I just lost. **

**Jason: You just got sassed by a mortal! *puts on shades and struts around throwing glitter over Katniss and Percy***

**Katniss: *wearing Sass Queen Crown and robes that say SASS on it* IWOVEPIZZA DOES NOT OWN ANY OF US, YOU HEAR ME? *shoots arrow at camera for special effect***

**Me: WTF THAT CAMERA COST ME A LOT OF MONEY**

**Katniss: *scoffs* Capitol people. You don't know poverty if that bitch slapped you across the face**

**Katniss/Jason/Percy: OOOOHHHH**

**Percy: now this chapter has to start off with my POV because I'm awesome.**

**Me: I was going to start off with Jason's POV**

**Percy: MAKE IT HAPPEN NOW *cracks knuckles***

**Me: *mutters under breath* stupid book characters *stomps off to go sulk***

**Percy POV**

I sat alone in my quarters, picking at my food. I'd been eating like a bird ever since Caesar's talk show and Silena and my prep team had seemed very concerned. They dropped by every now and then to check up on me, but I always insisted I was fine. Today would be the start of our training and I was super stressed out; I had no idea who my allies would be, but I needed to make a few and fast. Those who don't have allies will crumble when it comes to the Games.

I knew that me, Nico, and the rest of the seven had a sort of unspoken alliance, but I knew it wouldn't stay that way forever. I needed to ally with some of the other tributes, too. Tetro and Raven were out of the question; they seemed to be going solo. Cara was taking interest in Annabeth, and I wanted to be nowhere near her; besides, I wasn't that smart despite the way I looked. Xavier seemed to be the best possible choice, just for an alliance. Even if you had an alliance, that doesn't mean that you had to stick together; it only meant you wouldn't kill one another if you confronted each other.

If I were to stick with anyone throughout the Games, I probably trusted either Nico, Jason, Frank. The only problem was that Frank had said that he was going to stick with Hazel; two people could just barely manage to avoid trouble, but three was pushing it. We would draw attention to ourselves and become easy targets, so Frank was out no matter how much I wanted to brave the Games with him. Jason and Piper were going together and even if I did go I'd interrupt their attempts to become Star-Crossed lovers; I'd just be a third wheel. That left Nico. I wasn't sure how to think of him; he was always so withdrawn and moody, but I knew I could trust him. I'd known him longer than anyone who was a part of the crew of the Argo, aside from Annabeth.

Gods, when Caesar had said she was legally insane I'd almost become hopeful. She had just been irrational when breaking up with me, right? I had tried to confront her after she stormed offstage, but she'd just yelled at me that this was all my fault. Despite the fact that I knew it wasn't my fault, the words still stung. My ex-girlfriend had always comforted me in times of stress, including when we were down in Tartarus. But now that we've been through the tortures the Giants had to offer, she was a different girl now. She was more…independent. My eyes became misty and tears threatened to trickle down my face, but I shoved them back. I was a freaking train wreck when it came to my love life, but now was not the time to fuss over that.

There was a soft knock on the door and I got up to answer it. When I opened the door I was greeted by the face I knew all too well; Silena. She had been so supportive throughout this entire thing that I didn't even know whether I'd still be functional if she hadn't been there for me. I smiled and stepped aside, letting her pass. Her feet didn't make a sound as she walked and her feet always toughed an inch above the ground so that she was basically hovering. I could see right through her if I looked close enough just like it had been when I was talking with Caesar.

My quarters were fancy and modern. In the living room there was a smooth, white, plush wrap-around couch that was beyond comfortable and was placed in front of a blazing cobblestone hearth; the only rustic thing in the entirety of my quarters. The floors were chrome and all of the walls were painted white. Not much of a variety, but it achieved the modern look.

"Percy, you better eat that entire thing." Silena said and gestured angrily to my dish. "You need to fatten up before the Games. I can't have an anorexic Percy competing against two-hundred-pound brutes."

"But I'm not hungry." I complained. My stomach growled loudly and Silena raised her eyebrows. I groaned. Stupid stomach. Silena watched me like a hawk as I forced down the last of my meal. An Avox who had been hovering nearby took my plate, cup, and silverware and put them into the dishwasher to be cleaned. I turned to Silena. "So? What did you come here for?" Silena's face was grim as she sat me down on the couch.

"The training starts in an hour." She told me, her tone grave. She turned the TV on to reveal two people standing side-by-side and waving at a crowd of monsters, their faces serious. "Meet Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark; the daughter of Apollo and the son of Demeter. They will be your trainers and have experience beyond belief when it comes to the Games.

"Don't think that there haven't been any Hunger Games before yours. Since the dawn of time Porphyrion hosted the Hunger Games; the tributes mostly being monsters. After he was defeated by Zeus the Games ceased to exist until Porphyrion rose again. Two days after his rebirth he hosted the 74th Hunger Games, the first Hunger Games to ever have demigod tributes. Katniss and Peeta won using their wits and their amazing skills."

"But only one person can win the Hunger Games." I said plainly, awe-inspired by these two former tributes.

"That's the point. They decided that they'd rather kill themselves using a poisonous berry called Nightlock than to give the Capitol their victor. This was an extreme act of rebellion, yet Peeta and Katniss were the Star-Crossed Lovers and the monsters of the Capitol would've rebelled if they were executed. They now reside to training tributes like you, though they are not happy about it as you can see." Silena waved her hand and the scene changed to an image of Katniss shooting targets with deadly accuracy.

"Katniss is probably the most talented and most powerful daughter of Apollo of all time. She is amazing with a bow and arrow and is proficient at climbing trees. She also is stubborn and rather ruthless when it comes to killing the guilty and the blameworthy; two traits that every tribute must have in order to survive. Do you hear me Percy Jackson?" Silena was shouting now. I nodded vigorously. She waved her hand again and it showed Peeta designing his hand he put it against the bark of a tree and it blended right in.

"Peeta is a master of disguise and is incredibly tolerant when it comes to pain. He is decent with a sword but is more brains than brawn, though he killed a few tributes in his time in the Hunger Games. Peeta is charming and he basically wooed all of the Capitol into sponsoring him and Katniss when he made up a fake love story about them. Needless to say during the Games that fake love story became a real one and they now reside in one of the finest homes in the Capitol with two children of their own. The four traits you need: brains, skill, stubbornness, ruthlessness, and charm. Percy I believe you can win this." Silena's pep talk had no effect on me. I was still scared out of my mind and I was nervous to meet these two tributes. Katniss and Peeta weren't the couple to toy with.

"But at what cost? Losing all of my friends and having nothing, not even family or friends to come back to?" I asked quietly. A lone tear made its way down my cheek and Silena's face softened. She gathered me into a hug, though her touch was just a wisp of cold. She searched my face for answers, but I put on a mask devoid of any emotion; I needed to be strong to win this. All of a sudden a voice blared over the speakers installed throughout my apartment.

_"__Perseus Jackson please put on the suit provided and repot to the training room." _A robotic voice announced. As if on cue, which it probably was, an Avox brought me some clothes; a black muscle shirt, shorts, a black jacket, and combat boots. I quickly went to the bathroom and slipped them on; checking myself out in the huge floor-to-ceiling mirror.

"Looking good Jackson." I complimented myself and pointed a finger gun at my reflection. I realized that I was slowly becoming my old self again. Sure, I was still hurting on the inside, but the old Perseus Jackson was slowly re-forming. I smiled at this and walked out of the bathroom. Silena had gone, but I knew exactly where I had to go. I looked around my quarters, which would be the quarters of the tribute from District 4 in the next Hunger Games, and the tribute from District 4 from the next, next Hunger Games. I was just one tribute out of dozens, which made myself feel relatively small. I couldn't make a difference unless I won, or at least came in second. In this case, first is the best and all the rest are the worst; because you'd be dead. Ha. Ha. Ha. (Note the sarcasm.)

I walked out of my room and quietly closed the door behind me, though why I was being careful I had no idea. I poised myself; shoulders back, head up, poker-face on, and back straight. I couldn't show any weakness at the moment; all I needed to think about was training and alliances. I strode down the hallway with confidence I didn't even know I had…of course, it was fake confidence, of course. I emerged into the commons area and found that all of the other tributes were on the couches, conversing in low voices. All the boys were dressed the same; black muscle shirt and jacket, shorts, and combat boots. The girls were dressed the same as well, though their outfits were different than the boy's outfits; they wore a black T-shirt, slightly shorter shorts (the Giants are probably perverts), and the same black jacket and combat boots.

I wondered why they weren't in the training room; wasn't that where we were supposed to be? I sat down next to Jason and he smiled at me. Gods, I haven't seen that sincere, dazzling smile in ages. He looked so much healthier and lively; it made me feel all warm inside.

"The guards over there," Jason gestured to two Cyclopes all decked out in armor that were on either side of the hallway that led to the entrance, "told us to wait until Katniss and Peeta were ready and the training room was set up. They seem pretty awesome." I could only nod solemnly in reply. The two of us were talking right now, but at the end of these Games either one or both of us would be dead. I'd prefer if it was me that was dead and not Jason.

"So, how's everything going?" I asked him with very weak enthusiasm. At this, Jason laughed; a true, hearty laugh. He punched me in the arm lightly and leaned against the plush couch with his hands behind his head nonchalantly. How could he be so calm when we were about to prove ourselves to the other tributes in order to form alliances? I certainly was nervous and jittery.

"Well we didn't even get to the training room and Cara and Annabeth already have an alliance. Those two are perfect for each other, and I'm not talking in the love sense; they make a deadly duo so watch your back. Tetro and Frank are conversing around a possible partnership; they're thinking of braving the games side-by-side, though Tetro isn't crazy about the fact that Hazel will have to tag along. I, for one, don't know if I want to ally with anyone at the moment; I want to ally with Piper, but she's thinking of having an alliance with Anna_bitch_. Cara won't ally with anyone but Annabeth, and even if I do ally with Piper all of the people she allies with won't be allies with me and I'll get killed. It's very confusing if you ask me." Jason scoffed.

"I don't have an allies either. All of my friends are allies with the wrong people. I know that the four other tributes will be lethal and you should ally with them as to not get your butt kicked, but I don't trust them with keeping an alliance, you know? Once you confront them, _BAM_; they kill you without a second thought, no matter who they're allied with. I'm thinking of allying with Nico, but he already is allied with that creepy girl Raven. I honestly ship them; two Goth kids are the perfect OTP. I call them 'Ravico.'" I reply good-naturedly. Jason's face turned pained for a moment, as if he knew something I didn't, but it was only there for a second before it was replaced by a smile.

"Do you want to ally with me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I shrugged.

"Sure. I could even do a partnership, if that's okay with you." I tell him honestly. Jason's face lit up and his grin became even wider.

"Deal." We shook hands and that's when the guards marched over.

"They're ready." One of them grunted. More guards appeared from the hallway and they escorted us to the training room; shoving us forward and not even bothering to be the least bit gentle. I stuck near Jason for the time being, looking around warily. The rustic appearance of the building had slowly turned futuristic; the walls were now made of metal and electric lights were set at short intervals along the ceiling. Floorboards no longer creaked underfoot, but the sound of shoes tapping on marble tiles had replaced it. The hallway became narrower and forced us to walk single-file. One guard was up front, leading us, and another brought up the rear to make sure we didn't escape. Man, this security was amazing.

Pretty soon two doors loomed up ahead. They, too, were made of metal and two small windows made of bulletproof glass were the only things that hinted that the doors actually led somewhere. The guard opened the door and held it open as we filed in, not bothering to thank him; we were too busy staring. The room was huge; the ceiling stretched high overhead and the far wall was at least one hundred yards away. The right wall was decked with weapons of all kinds; maces, bows and quivers full of arrows, spears, swords, knives, daggers, guns, you name it. There seemed to be stations; one space was set up for camouflage, another for fire-making, and several others that all had to do with basic survival. There was a raised platform in the center, probably made for sparring, but two people who looked as if they were in their late twenties stood on top really, as if they owned the place. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.

We gathered at the base of the platform in a horizontal line, looking in awe at the two former tributes. Katniss scrutinized us with intelligent eyes that could've sliced us in half. Her brown hair was braided over one shoulder and she wore a pin that had a bird holding an arrow clipped to her shirt. What was so important about a stupid bird? Peeta's gaze was a little softer, but the glint in his eyes was no less intelligent than Katniss' eyes. His blonde hair was neatly combed, unlike Katniss' hair, which had messy strands escaping from her braid. They were two different kinds of people, yet both were cunning and powerful.

"Listen up!" Katniss' strong, confident voice echoed throughout the training room, though we had already been listening. "You are gathered here today to train, as you will be for the next six days as well. At the end of the week you will be tested on a skill of your choice. Your skill level will be rated on a scale of 1-12, with 12 being the highest skill level. This information will be displayed to the public so that they can make their final decisions about sponsoring and betting. There are several skills to choose from, including but not limited to; battle training, plant identification, fire-starting, fishhook making, camouflage, and hunting. Most of all, you should be making alliances. I'm afraid that if you don't make any alliances, you will fail. I can be sure of that.

"The battle training includes scrimmages, but there is no maiming or killing of any sort allowed; save that for the Games. You will constantly be monitored by guards, Peeta and myself, and by Polybotes himself." Katniss gestured to a balcony that was crawling with monsters. Seated on a throne made of silver sat a smug-looking Polybotes. He winked at me when our eyes met and smiled evilly. How I hated him. Peeta stepped forward and Katniss moved out of the way for him.

"Tributes, I know you may be concerned for the future, as Katniss and I were when we first fought in the Hunger Games. Think of it as an actual Game; all you have to do is try your best. Along with the will to survive you need to have hope; a little is effective, but too much can be deadly. With that in mind, you just might be able to win. The Capitol is also participating; they will make the landscape that you will fight in and send hazards to plague you, such as triggering forest fires or sending out one of their own mutant creations, which are unofficially called mutts. They will do this all electronically, so don't get any hope about killing one of the people of the Capitol. I doubt that you've been told that the powers you've inherited from your godly parents will be disabled during these Games-" As Peeta said this, an uproar broke out amongst us; now all we had to rely on were our skills to win this. How was this going to be possible? People who I hadn't viewed as a threat before had suddenly become the greatest dangers; such as Xavier and Tetro. I was dead. I was so very, very dead.

"SETTLE DOWN." Katniss roared and we all quieted. "It is possible to win the Games without your little powers. As a daughter of Apollo, and I think children of Athena can relate, all I had was skills. Now Cara may have power over instruments; that is a skill, not a power. Frank, on the other hand, has inherited his powers from the Zhang family bloodline; his shape-shifting is not a power handed down by Mars, but by generations upon generations of Zhang shape-shifters. Those powers will not be disabled. You won't be able to do anything about this, so I suggest you begin training. Peeta and I will be walking around and observing your progress, even dropping hints here and there. NOW MOVE!" We didn't hesitate; all of us ran to the wall of weapons.

-Ω-

**Cara POV**

I sat cross-legged on one of the stairways that led up to the scrimmage platform. I was content with only one alliance; Annabeth was the only tribute in here that showed any signs of intelligence besides Katniss and Peeta, though Perseus Jackson, Xavier Wilston, and Raven Nightshade had their moments. I observed my surroundings, as should every skilled tribute should.

Xavier was hacking away at a dummy with an Imperial Gold sword, his pearl-white wings seemingly luminous in the electric lighting. Sweat already soaked his muscle shirt and he was using moves that only the most skilled swordsman have ever been able to figure out; even demonstrating a few techniques of his own.

Raven was mercilessly chucking knives at moving holographic targets, each knife finding their mark. I shivered; Raven literally radiated power and I wouldn't be surprised if she was the victor. Her stringy hair was tied back in a ponytail, revealing her scarred eye. I knew that would be a weakness when it came to the Games, but she had so much potential that it made up for it.

Tetro was slicing away at the same holographic warriors as Raven, but in a different area of the training room. His duel swords cut through them and whenever a holographic warrior died, they turned to dust, which eventually disappeared, too. His muscles bulged and the inky black designs that spiraled around his arms and down his back really stood out against his fair skin. He was probably the strongest here when it came to brawn, but he lacked brains, which was a severe flaw.

Perseus was surprisingly at the fishhook station, creating the most realistic and beautiful fishhook I have ever seen. I thought he'd be in the swordplay area, but it seemed that he wanted to be away from Tetro, though I couldn't blame him the slightest bit. Maybe it was a skill of his, since his father was the sea god, but either way he would certainly be able to catch some fish…if there was any water in the arena. His black hair was slightly unkempt and hung in his eyes a little bit, but he either didn't know or he didn't care.

Jason was at the camouflage station, painting a grassy design on his hand, though it just looked like a hand that was painted green and not actual grass. Peeta came over and began conversing with him, though the conversation was inaudible from all the way over here. When Peeta left Jason began to add a little brown here and there and darker and lighter shades of green, causing it looked as if his hand was actually made of grass. When he put his hand against the nature backdrop of the station, it blended right in. Jason smiled and began to paint the other hand expertly, as if he'd been painting all his life.

Frank was at the shooting range, firing on more holographic soldiers. Every arrow hit their targets. Katniss took interest in this, probably because she was a master with a bow. She took one from the rack of bows next to the range and showed him a nearly flawless shooting stance. Frank adjusted his posture and began to fire with even more speed and accuracy. He tanked Katniss and she walked away, observing everyone with eyes like a hawk's.

Piper was pushing the buttons in the plant identification station, identifying each plant as either poisonous, healing, or edible. Her hands flew over the console with speed and grace and she never got anything wrong. I wonder where her knowledge of plants came from, though I was sure they gave you herbal lessons at Camp Half-Blood.

Annabeth was at the trivia area; answering questions about plants, geography, natural resources, and wildlife. My ally never missed a beat and got every question correct. I sighed; she was smarter than I was. Her stormy grey eyes were trained on the screen and her brows were furrowed in determination. Her curly blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail and her black clothes brought out the angles of her face and the tan of her skin. She looked like a kickass assassin.

Nico di Angelo was making a dummy wish it was never made; chopping its limbs off and reducing it to a pile of fabric and stuffing with a Stygian Iron sword. His face had a sheen of sweat over it and his muscle shirt revealed his bare arms, which were surprisingly muscular despite his skinniness. If I wasn't being so picky, Nico would've been the perfect ally. He was intelligent, strong, and skilled, but he had an alliance with that stupid Tetro Valcan and I saw Percy and Jason conversing with him a few moments ago.

Leo was on a roll. He was creating traps like no other in a matter of minutes; death traps that'll send knives hurling into your heart, wildlife traps that will have the animal pinned under a log, and other amazing creations. As Leo did this his wicked and mischievous smile broadened until he looked like a lunatic, which I suppose he was; these traps would have anyone watching their step. Katniss watched Leo with interest and said something, pointing to his new little thingamabob that would bring a rock down on any unsuspecting and unfortunate tribute who happened to trigger it. Leo nodded and began to fiddle with the pulley system he had. He chucked a rock at the trigger and a rock came down with alarming speed from the fake trees that the Capitol had set up around the area.

Hazel was watching Leo and Frank with awe, while hacking apart holographic enemies with a cavalry sword at the same. I had to admit that that girl, no matter how young she was, was a serious threat. Even though most tributes would expect her to be weak and go after her to pick her off, she was a lethal combination of brains and brawn. She had eyes on the back of her head, and even when a holographic tribute ran up behind her on an angle that she couldn't possibly see, she hacked it apart without even taking her eyes off Leo and Frank.

That left me. I was just sitting on the steps, watching; a flute in my lap. It had been the only musical instrument up on the walls, so I decided that I'd put it to good use. I raised it to my lips, remembering the music classes and lessons I used to take back when I went to school, and blew into it. A sweet, high note escaped it and all of the tributes, including Katniss and Peeta turned to look at me. I nearly cringed under all of their gazes, but I sucked it up and blew into the flute again. It was perfectly tuned as I played, pouring all of my disgust towards the games into my music, which ran through my system as if it was a part of me.

I stood up and the tempo became faster, more upbeat as I remembered the first time I'd joined the Giants' army; it was the glorious day when I finally felt accepted. The tributes watched in a trance as I continued to play, but I kept my concentration on the instrument as I emptied all of my feelings into it. Then it slowed and became more flats than sharps, a low, sullen song about the time that stupid Lucifer abandoned me during the battle of Half-Blood Hill. I poured all of my effort and sadness into it, and the tributes continued to stare, unmoving. Even Katniss and Peeta seemed lulled by the music. I continued to play in that sad, sad tone as the memories of being drafted into the Hunger Games flooded through my mind. A single tear trickled down my cheek, but I continued to play. When I was finally done, everyone was staring at me with a look of utter awe and astonishment, but their eyes were distant, as if they were in a trance, which they were.

_Here goes nothing. _I thought and my voice ring out throughout the silence of the training room, "KNEEL!" Everyone automatically knelt, their eyes still glazed. That's when Percy began shaking his head and looking around in bewilderment. The other tributes followed his lead and pretty soon murmurs were breaking out amongst them.

"…controlled us with the music."

"…in a sort of trance."

"….ally with."

Finally, Katniss stepped forward. Her expression was blank; a mask of emotions and the excellent poker face. She raised her hand for quiet and everyone obeyed, hushing themselves so the room was quiet once more.

"Cara Ansford?" she asked. I stepped down from the platform and approached her cautiously. Her brown eyes glinted with something…was that admiration?

"Y-y-yes?" I stuttered. I had no idea what to say. Was she going to punish me for putting everyone in a trance? This was training, though, and I didn't think that would be fair. Then again nothing was fair these days.

"That was the most talent I've ever seen demonstrated by a child of Apollo, and I'm one of them. You are truly gifted." She said flatly. I was stunned; this tribute, winner of the 74th Hunger Games, was congratulating me? A tribute who hadn't even faced the arena yet?

"Thank you." was all I could say in reply. I glanced at the clock and realized how late it was and how long we'd been training: it read 10:47 p.m. Wow. Katniss followed my gaze with hers and smirked.

"Eager to leave, aren't you?" she snorted, her voice filled with amusement. Louder she added, "OKAY THAT WRAPS UP TODAY! BACK TO YOUR ROOMS!"


	11. Chapter 11

**(A/N) Wow…I'm actually making pretty good time on this story. We're ****_almost _****up to the Games, but I needed to include this chapter first. I have five days until I have to return to school and I wanted to update on all of my fanfictions before I am engulfed by a sea of homework and stress. Updates will become even scarcer and that's a bummer. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own THG or PJO**

**Xavier POV **

My fingers drummed on my knee in an upbeat rhythm as if it would be able to distract me from the anxiety that was gnawing ferociously at my stomach. The week of training was up and we were now waiting in a room that branched off from the training room; it was assessment day. I had already allied with Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, and Hazel Levesque, but that didn't mean that I hadn't made any enemies. If I was correct, Tetro hated my guts and Piper seemed to want to stick a knife in my chest. I shook my head clear and tried to distract myself by analyzing the room, but it was painted a bland white color and had no interesting things about it.

_"__Hazel Levesque from District 1, please report to the training room for individual assessment, and may the odds be ever in your favor." _A voice blared over the loudspeaker. _May the odds be ever in your favor. _We'd been hearing the Hunger Games' motto since the second day of training. It was beginning to become rather annoying; the motto seemed to be mocking us, as if they wanted us to go kill people and enjoy it. It was disgusting. A jittery Hazel stood up from her seat next to Frank's and disappeared behind the door that two guards had been holding open for her. She flashed me a weak smile before the door closed behind her, obscuring her from view. I was so nervous I thought I was going to piss my pants, but there wasn't any bathroom in here and peeing in your pants didn't necessarily make you look strong.

Unfortunately while I let my eyes wander, my gaze locked with Tetro's. He grinned wickedly and sliced his hand over his throat. I gulped and my nervous shaking became even more violent. It was tiresome work to manipulate the Mist to the point where it obscured my wings, so I'd stopped trying long ago; it sapped too much of my energy. My wings were now folded behind my back as to not hit anyone in the face, but they were quivering so hard it was very difficult. As the room emptied and other tributes were called to their assessments in District order, I tried to occupy myself in any way possible, but it was a losing battle.

"So, ally, how are you doing?" Percy asked me in a quiet but optimistic voice. He nudged me with his elbow as if we were best buds and not competitive tributes that could maul each other even if we had an alliance.

"Good, I guess." I gagged.

"You're green." Percy noted and I nodded, clutching my stomach with both hands. Percy seemed to get the hint and didn't try to uphold the conversation. My stomach twisted and turned as if it were purposely trying to make me throw up all over the person who sat on the bench in front of me, who happened to be Piper McLean. She already had a dislike for me; I couldn't make things worse. Besides, throwing up would make me look like an easy target; weak and helpless. I, for one, am not weak and helpless and I wanted to avoid killing people in the Games as much as possible.

Pretty soon the only people left in the room were Frank, me, and Nico. They seemed to have the jitters too; Nico was clutching his stomach and Frank's expression was rather strained. My stomach was churning as the voice blared over the intercom, _"Frank Zhang from District 10, please report to the training room for individual assessment, and may the odds be ever in your favor." _The son of Mars grimaced and walked out, leaving me and Nico alone. We didn't make eye contact, only concentrated on steading our breathing. If I didn't control myself, I'd hyperventilate.

"So," I jumped when Nico spoke up, "Are you nervous?"

"What does it look like? Of course I'm nervous!" I snapped and Nico let out a rather stressed chuckle. Didn't really want to speak with this guy; we weren't allies. But he was Percy, Raven, Tetro, and Jason's ally, so why shouldn't I trust him? Because he can kill me, that's why; I've seen him take down almost all of the tributes that challenged him. He could be ruthless and cold-hearted if he wanted to, and I wasn't prepared to face him down in battle; this guy gave me the heebie-jeebies.

"I wonder who is going to 'assess' me. I hope it's Peeta, he seems more easy-going than Katniss. Besides, Katniss can be a bit of a bitch." Nico managed in between shaky breaths. I could only nod in reply; I was afraid that if I even opened my mouth my stomach would eject all of its contents. We waited in relative silence; sometimes starting a conversation but never really dragging it out. Finally I heard the dreaded message, _"Xavier Wilston from District 11, please report to the training room for individual assessment, and may the odds be ever in your favor." _

Nico snuck me a pitying glance and my stomach was doing backflips. I shakily stood up and walked through the door. I wanted to bid Nico farewell, but the door had already closed behind me. I looked around the training room, which was usually flooded with light. This time, though, it was relatively dim. I looked up to see that on the balcony Polybotes and some other important-looking monsters didn't really seem to be paying attention; their focus was mostly on the roasted pig that had been brought out. Katniss and Peeta were there, too, staring at me expectantly; the only ones who were watching.

I took a sword from the rack with shaky fingers, waiting until it molded and shaped until it balanced perfectly in my hand. I took a sidelong glance at the balcony again; everyone was still focused on the roasted pig. Ugh. I hacked apart a few dummies until they were nothing but stuffing, yet the Giants still paid me no heed. I was suddenly overcome by a wave of uncontrollable anger. This was my assessment that ranked me and they weren't even paying attention; the nerve. That's when I'd had enough. I approached a blank wall and cut my hand so that blood dripped down in a steady flow. I loved to paint, and what I was about to do was going to be the biggest act of rebellion since Katniss and Peeta's victory.

I pictured Katniss' pin in my head. She said it was called a mockingjay; a new species of bird that emerged when the Giants took over. I thought of it as a symbol of rebellion and began to paint with my own blood; a mockingjay holding an arrow in its mouth with the words, _The odds are never in our favor _scrawled under it. The blood dripped and smeared, but that was part of the effect. When I was done I looked up at the balcony. Everyone, even Katniss and Peeta, were watching me with wide eyes and open mouths. I took a mocking bow and walked out, not even bothering to be excused.

-Ω-

**Raven POV**

All of the tributes were hanging out in the commons room, watching the TV. It was a huge 8 ft x 8 ft flat-screen placed above the roaring hearth and it was the only modern-looking thing in the room. We weren't really paying attention to it as re-runs of Caesar's talk show played; allies talked and joked and some were quietly going over strategies for winning.

I have to admit, on Caesar's show I looked like a weak idiot who was trying to gain pity because my mom was an alcoholic. Everyone else looked so dignified and crafty, except for Piper with her little sobbing act and Annabeth with her outburst of rage, and I just looked like an abused, anorexic, Goth delinquent.

My only ally was Nico, and that was fine by me. I wasn't like Nico, who was allies with almost everyone, but at least I was allies with him; Nico was the one in the Games I feared most. He was just so powerful and calculating it made me look normal.

We were waiting for the assessment results to come on and to pass the time Percy suggested we watched re-runs. How I hated Percy; people thought he was so brave and powerful since he defeated Kronos and they don't embrace the fact that he may not be the most powerful demigod out there. I certainly was confident enough to challenge him to a battle; I had been training most of my life and Percy had only begun when he was twelve. Heck, he hadn't even known he was a demigod until he was twelve!

"And now we have Gaius Julius Caesar!" A voice announced and all of the hushed conversations ceased immediately. We watched as Caesar strut onstage in his armor, waving at the crowd and boasting his blue hair. He sat down in his chair and waited for the audience to settle down. It took a long time for it to finally quiet, but finally there was silence.

"Okay audience; last week we met with twelve determined, strong, witty tributes. All of them have their own reasons to fight for their survival. Am I right?" Caesar raised a fist and the audience went wild, screaming their approval. I knew it would've been louder if I had actually been there, but the specialized surround-sound made everything more extreme.

"So, they have been training hard with Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, everyone's OTP!" The crowd went berserk at the mention of the two former tributes' names. When they quieted, Caesar continued, "They have been assessed and their scores will show up on the screens behind me. Let's begin, shall we? And may the odds be ever in your favor." The screens changed from the Caesar Talk Show emblem to pictures of Hazel in her chariot and sitting with Caesar. "Hazel Levesque, with her amazing performance with her cavalry sword…"

"I didn't use my cavalry sword, I threw knives and hit the center of every target." I heard Hazel mutter under her breath. I knew that the assessment adjudicators had not been paying attention to anything. I hadn't thought it was fair at all, but I did nothing about it.

"A score of seven!" Caesar announced and there was an applause from the audience. Hazel grumbled something under her breath and crossed her arms, a scowl plastered across her face. The screens behind him changed from Hazel's picture to Tetro's. "Next, Tetro with his fine use of his duel swords, a score of ten!" Tetro had a smug look on his face as his score was announced and almost everyone sitting shot him a withering glare. He either didn't seem to notice or he didn't care.

Tetro's sullen picture turned into a grinning Leo Valdez who was giving a thumbs-up. "Representing District 3, and with his flawless traps that earned him a respective number, Leo Valdez with a score of nine!" I began to realize that nobody was getting any twelves. Geez, these judges were picky. Then again they hadn't even been watching us, for that matter. I suppose that elevens and twelves were only for the really good tributes.

Leo's happy-go-lucky photo was changed to a picture of Percy. His face was a mask devoid of emotion and his steely green gaze bored into the camera. "District 4, Perseus Jackson, with a score of eleven for his excellent swordplay!" Percy puffed out his chest as we clapped for him. I felt good for him, even though I hated his guts; he would prove to be a worthy opponent when it came to confronting each other in the arena.

The picture changed again, and it seemed like it was the same picture, only altered slightly. Same steely gaze, only ice blue instead of sea green. Same unkempt hair, only blonde, and there was a scar of his upper lip. Jason didn't seem to be showing any form of emotion at all. "District 5, Jason Grace, with a score of ten with his amazing skills with a spear!" Percy clapped Jason on the back and the son of Jupiter snuck him a playfully angry look as he tried to shoulder the son of Poseidon off.

"Look who did better than you, you lil' crap!" Percy joked good-naturedly and elbowed Jason in the ribs.

"Ouch! No need to rub it in!" Jason replied, his voice filled with pretend hurt. He placed a hand over his heart in a mocking attempt to seem offended.

"Shut up! Both of you!" Nico snapped as Jason's picture changed to mine. Holy crap; when had the girl from the Ring joined the Hunger Games? Holy. Freaking. Crap. My stringy black hair hung in my face and I was scowling deeply. My onyx-black eye bored into the camera as if I was trying to break it by just staring hard enough.

"Raven Nightshade of District 6 gets a score of eight for her deadly accurate knife-throwing." That's it? A freaking eight? I worked hard as hell day and night for the entire week of training just to perfect my knife-throwing. I was starting to think that Polybotes was a d***, but I was a warrior of the Giants' army I don't openly call Giants d***s.

"Screw this crap." I grumbled and crossed my arms. Nico gave me an amused look but didn't say anything. The picture of me that looked like the girl from the Ring disappeared and was replaced by a shot of Cara, who was staring stony-faced into the camera.

"Cara Ansford from District 7 gets an eleven for her awesome and totally out-of-this-world ability to lull the crowd with her music!" We clapped for Cara, but she was poker-faced. I knew she deserved a twelve; that skill of hers was just amazing and the Giants didn't seem to realize that. Then again, they didn't seem to be giving out much twelves lately. Cara's picture was replaced by Annabeth's. She seemed so angry I swear I saw little fumes coming out of her ears. She didn't look angry as in red-faced and trying to cover the camera with her hand, I'm talking more like the cold sort of angry. She was poker-faced, but her stormy-grey eyes burned with such ferocity and anger I resisted the urge to cringe.

"From the weaving District, District 8, Annabeth Chase with a score of six for her flawless answers on the trivia station." At this, Annabeth bellowed and all of us jumped.

"That's not fair! I deserve a twelve! A twelve!" she screamed and grabbed her blonde hair as if she were going to tear it out. Cara attempted to console her.

"They weren't paying attention anyways, don't worry the score doesn't matter. Annabeth-" Cara was interrupted when the daughter of Athena stormed out of the commons room and towards her dorm, her fists clenched and her arms tightly at her sides. The tribute from District 7 groaned and rubbed her temples. I could relate.

"Next we have Piper McLean from District 9. For her wickedly accurate plant identification, she receives a five!" Caesar said merrily.

"God dammit!" Piper growled and crackled her knuckles agitatedly. "The Giants wouldn't know talent if it bitch slapped them across the face." Hazel snorted at this, trying to contain laughter, and both of them shared a light and short chuckle with each other.

"We're winding down, folks! After the Killer Hottie comes Beast Boy; the one, the only, Frank Zhang from District 10. For his accurate archery, a score of ten!" Wow, the Giants were giving out a ton of tens. How come they only gave Percy and Cara elevens? After Frank's image faded, it was replaced by a beautiful picture of Xavier. His looks were handsome and chiseled and his wings were spread. His platinum hair was a shock of white on his head, bringing out the intense colors of his kaleidoscopic eyes. He looked like an angel. Xavier leaned forward, looking nervous. What was he so afraid of? He was trembling so hard the couch cushions were vibrating. The other tributes were giving him odd looks; what did he do to cause such fear?

"Xavier Wilston, the Angel Boy; District 11's tribute, gets an ASTOUNDING 12!" Caesar declared and all of us cheered for him, clapping him on the back and giving him congratulations. His eyes were wide though and his breaths were shallow. That's when I realized that Caesar didn't say what Xavier had done to earn that twelve. Uh-oh.

"_Xavier Wilston what did you do!?_" I hissed, just loud enough for everyone to hear. At this, Xavier's pupils dilated to the point where the pupil almost covered his iris entirely. His eye color turned from a bright, nervous green to a murky brown. I wondered if they changed according to his mood. The other tributes leaned in, waiting for a reply. Meanwhile Caesar announced that Nico had received an eight for his excellent sword-fighting, but no one, not even Nico, seemed to care about it; everyone was waiting for Xavier's reply.

"I…I painted a picture." He stuttered.

"A Goddamn picture!? And they gave you a twelve for it!?" Tetro snarled. Then it seemed to dawn on him. "Wait, Angel Boy; there aren't any paints in the training room. The camouflage station was closed." Xavier tensed as the tribute from District 1 pointed this out.

_"__Xavier." _Percy's voice was firm.

"Wait a minute; there was a piece of tarp covering one section of the wall when I was assessed and all of the adjudicators looked pretty pissed. They looked as if, even with the slightest provoking, they would flip out. _What did you do?_" Nico asked, his voice concerned and curious at the same time. There was also a sort of fearful undertone to it; Xavier obviously did something that was an act of rebellion, or at least not pleasing towards the Capitol.

"I said it already. I-I-I painted a picture." Xavier said meekly, not making eye contact with anyone.

"Be honest. Tell us everything" Piper added and I felt her charmspeak roll over everyone like a wave. Of course, if you were trained in the Giants' army you learned how to tune out charmspeak, but Xavier was nervous and stressed, so it had a huge effect on him. His eyes became glazed and he looked as if he were in a trance of some sort.

"Well I walked into the training room and I see that nobody was paying attention to anything; the only ones who were looking at me and not the roasted pig that had just been brought out had been Katniss and Peeta. I got so mad. I-I-I didn't think. I thought of Katniss' mockingjay pin and saw it as a symbol of rebellion. I was just so stressed and frustrated with this entire thing that I…I…" Xavier struggled to find words.

"You what?" Jason asked. His ice blue eyes were round with curiosity and suspense.

"I-" Xavier opened his mouth to reply, but that's when the centaur barged in. His human half was decked in battle armor and a helmet hid his face from view. There were holes in the sides of his helmet that allowed his two horns to jut out. His horse half, the body of a glossy black stallion, had a banner draped over it that was emblemized with the Giants' symbol. He handed a note to one of the guards and disappeared back the way he came without a word. What an abrupt occurrence. The guard looked at the letter.

"It's for you, Mr. Wilston." grunted the Cyclopes. A wide and dastardly grin spread across his face. Xavier gulped and plucked the letter out of the guard's hand with trembling fingers. We leaned in and looked over his shoulder as the son of Aristaeus flipped the letter over. In elegant, swirling writing that was undoubtedly calligraphy, was Xavier's name.

_Xavier Alexander Wilston_

It didn't have a return address or even a postal stamp; I guess the Giants only used messengers now-a-days. I was surprised they even used letters and paper and not scrolls and parchment. With shaking hands, Xavier carefully ripped the letter open and pulled out the two slips of paper that had been folded and tucked inside. The bigger of the two was a letter, but the smaller one seemed laminated. A picture of some sort? Xavier didn't show us. His face was a chalk white and he was shivering all over. He unfolded the paper that contained the letter as if it were a time bomb he had to deactivate. I read it as fast as I could before Xavier finished and put it away. It read:

_Xavier, _

_You seem to believe you are invisible with your little angel wings and powers, along with your puny friends. That is not the case. We are powerful rulers and if you weren't already about to die you would be a bloody mess of flesh and bones by now. Your act of rebellion was not very pleasing to us, Mr. Wilston. It should never happen again or Polybotes, the Head Gamemaker and CEO of the Hunger Games Organization that makes the Games, will be sure to have your picture in the sky at the sound of a cannon. We do not take these kind of things lightly, Xavier. Don't let it happen again. We are watching. _

_Sincerely, _

_Porphyrion, the Giant King_

Xavier's skin tone seemed to pale even more until it seemed as if someone had bleached it. His lower lip quivered and his eyes were wide with terror. A death threat from the Giants. Whatever he did, it put him into some pretty deep trouble. Before he could react, Tetro had snatched the picture away from his lap.

"Hey!" he protested feebly, his voice hoarse and meek. He tried to grab it back, but Tetro held it out of reach. He turned away and looked at the picture. His confident, cocky smile melted into a look of pure horror.

"Xavier, what have you done?" he said in such an uncharacteristically quiet voice everyone had to lean in to hear it. He gave the photo to Percy, who paled and passed it to Jason. Xavier had his head down and sat in relative silence as the picture was passed around. When it finally came to me I could barely process it. Painted on the wall, with feathers, a beak, an arrow through its mouth, and a circle that surrounded it, was the same mockingjay that was on Katniss' pin. All of it was made of blood. Xavier's blood. It had dripped down as he painted it, giving it that horrifying effect. Scrawled in rather messy but still terrifying print were the words: _The odds are __never __in our favor. _

I looked at Xavier, whose eyes were starting to become misty. Tears trickled down his cheeks and he gripped the letter so tight his knuckles were white. His tears splashed onto the paper and soaked in, creating soggy holes. He knew exactly what I knew. 'Your picture in the sky' meant that you were dead, for after every day ends in the arena, pictures are cast in the sky of who had died. A cannon sounds whenever someone is killed, so both of those basically meant that Xavier had no hope of winning the Games. The Giants would probably cut off all sponsorship, send extra horrors after the poor tribute of District 11, and if he won the Games they would undoubtedly kill him anyway. There was no hope for Xavier. He was going to die. The Angel; the innocent, joking angel that had a family to take care of was going to perish along with ten others.


	12. Chapter 12

**(A/N) THE HUNGER GAMES IS BEGINNING. THAT'S ALL I CAN SAY WITHOUT SPOILING ANYTHING. **

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THG OR PJO**

**Percy POV**

"You're going to be fine, calm down." Silena urged as I began to hyperventilate. We were standing next to the tube that would take me up into the Games. This was it. The days where I could think that the Games were far away had come to an end; the Hunger Games was now.

"I'm sorry! It's just that what if I lose everything and everyone I've ever loved and I have nothing to return to and I need help now!" I was screaming now. I grabbed my hair and collapsed against the wall; sobbing. After a little while Silena put a hand on my shoulder and helped me back up. I sniffed and wiped furiously wiped at the tears that were coming down in waterfalls

_What is wrong with you, Jackson? _I chided myself. _Get it together. You look weak. _I poised myself and blinked the rest of the tears away.

"It's okay to cry." Silena told me quietly. I collapsed into her arms and wept until I had no more tears left to cry. Why does this have to happen to me? Why couldn't I just die to get it over with? Why? Why!? When I'd emptied my tear ducts out I drew away from her, leaning against the wall for support. I needed to get my act together or else I'd rise into the arena red-faced and frail-looking. That definitely wouldn't get me much sponsors. I took several deep breaths and composed myself. I would not break down again.

"Percy." I turned to Silena, whose face was serious. "I have a little time to tell you what's going to happen. Well you'll rise onto a platform, one of twelve. The other tributes will be on the other platforms. Don't get off of that platform until the voice says so or else your legs will be blown off; bombs lie under the surface and they deactivate when the Games begin. The platforms will be around a cornucopia, or at least, we call it the cornucopia. It holds weapons and tools beyond belief. You can either run away, weaponless, foodless, and supplies-less but still be safe, or you can risk running into the cornucopia, getting a weapon, and possibly being killed by other tributes that are already there. A tip from me; run the cornucopia as fast as you can, grab the first weapon you see, then get the hell out of there. Keep close to the cornucopia, though; you don't want to go too far away or else you'll hit a force-field. One blast from that thing and you'll be dead.

"When someone dies, a canon sounds. At the end of every day in the Huger Games, the pictures of the people who have fallen will appear in the sky. Be careful. Only trust your allies and try to stick with them. I'm just warning you; there will be a bloodbath when the Games start, so don't be surprised if you hear cannon blasts and see the dead body of one of your friends. Be safe." Silena planted a kiss on my cheek and walked out. My lower lip quivered. One of my friends was most likely going to die during the bloodbath.

I turned to the sound of stomping and two Cyclopes peacekeepers came over to me. I backed against the wall. Did I do something wrong? What was going to happen to me? One Cyclops lunged at me and grabbed my arm, holding it out. I didn't struggle; struggle would earn me a good beating. But I'm going to die anyway. The other produced a long syringe. My eyes widened. Uh-oh. I tensed as the cold metal touched my skin and plunged deep into my arm. I winced, but I didn't dare yelp or cry. That would show weakness.

The Cyclopes let go of me. "It's a tracking device and the thing that disables your powers. It also monitors your heartbeat and breathing; tells us if you're dead or not. If you die, the device sends a signal out to the cannon and fires it." One of them, the one who stuck me with the needle, grunted. I should've thrashed. I should've put up a fight. I already felt my powers waning; I felt…dizzy and tired.

Before I could react, the peacekeepers shoved me into the tube and I collapsed against the wall. A glass film was all that separated me from the Cyclopes peacekeepers and a door made of the same substance slid across the only exit. I slammed against the tube walls; spouting curses and rapping against the surprisingly strong glass. This was probably bulletproof, though it didn't look like it. I screamed for Silena, but she probably wouldn't hear me. I didn't even get to say goodbye. Tears streamed down my face as I slammed against the glass; pleading for mercy, but the Cyclopes only gave me smug grins. That's when a voice sounded over the intercom: _"All tributes report to their assigned tubes in ten seconds. If one of you does not enter your tube you will be beaten to death on sight."_

I sat against the glass, shivering. The clothes I was wearing offered no warmth whatsoever; a black jacket, black legging-like pants, black T-shirt. Black everything. I tried to slow my breathing, but my heart was beating so fast it was impossible. The voice sounded over the intercom again: "_Five seconds till launch. Four seconds. Three seconds. Two seconds. One second. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor."_

I leaped to my feet as the platform I was standing on began to rise. I clawed at the edges of the tube, trying to grapple my way back down, but it was no use. One of my peacekeepers waved mockingly at me, a huge grin on his face, and I screamed, banging on the unbreakable glass. Pretty soon the glass was out of sight and I was rising through a layer of electronics, wires, tubes, and metals. A thick layer of dirt passed. Then some grass. I looked up to see the sky rising towards me and the platform dispensed me onto this circular dais.

I looked around at my surroundings. We were in a huge circular clearing in the middle of a huge forest. Trees of all shapes, sizes, and species sprouted from the earth like jagged spires. A large lake was off to one side. I could retreat there; stay underwater until the Games are over. Then I realized that I didn't have my powers anymore; I would drown. Stupid tracking device. In the center of the clearing was this huge metal shape; the cornucopia. As Silena had said, it was filled with weapons, food, supplies, and other amazing things you could need. I realized that the better things, such as weapons, were farther back than the more useless things, such as a pair of scissors, a butter knife, and other junky items.

Now it was time to monitor the tributes. Some of them were obscured by the cornucopia, but the two tributes to my immediate left and right were Leo and Jason. We nodded to each other in a silent agreement; let's not kill each other. Jason winked at me. We were a partnership; we had to stick together. All of a sudden a hologram appeared above the cornucopia, broadcasting Polybotes' ugly face.

"Hello, tributes. It is my honor to welcome the twelve of you to the 75th annual Hunger Games!" he bellowed and hidden or invisible speakers projected his voice throughout the arena. My heart was beating a mile a minute and it took all of my effort not to hyperventilate. "It took me and my team of skilled children of Hephaestus and Vulcan a lot of effort and time to build this. Here's the purpose of the Games: Survive until the end. At the end of his, eleven of you will be dead and one will be victorious. It starts in thirty seconds."

**(A/N: Catching Fire never happened and quarter quells don't exist. This is the 75****th**** Hunger Games. Deal with it. *puts on shades*) **

The picture of Polybotes changed into a digital clock that started with thirty seconds on it and was now counting down. I turned to Jason, who bent his head and pointed behind him so subtly that nobody else noticed. The gesture was obvious: _Run. _I shook my head and faintly gestured to the cornucopia; the place that could hold the key to our success. Jason shook his head vigorously, his expression determined. He didn't want to risk it. The holographic clock began to wind down.

_Ten. _

Every tribute braced themselves to get a head start off of their platforms.

_Nine. _

Blood roared in my ears and my heart pounded so loudly I wondered if anyone else could hear it.

_Eight. _

Jason bounced on his toes nervously, his muscles tense and his feet ready to propel him off in to the trees. Too bad he didn't know that I wasn't going to follow him.

_Seven. _

My legs shook uncontrollably and I tightened my muscles in order for them to stop trembling.

_Six. _

_Give your life to protect your friends. You cannot be the one to win. Don't let anything happen to them. _I thought to myself and balled my fists.

_Five._

I leaned in, as did the others.

_Four. _

_Three._

_Two. _

_One. _

_Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor. _

A horn sounded and I propelled myself off of my dais, cringing as my feet touched the grassy ground. I didn't hesitate; I ran as fast as humanly possible. I saw the other tributes running towards the cornucopia as well, their faces determined. I was the first one to reach the cornucopia. I grabbed two swords; one for me and one for Jason, and a pack of ambrosia. I was just running out when I saw Raven chuck a knife at me.

Time seemed to slow down as the knife went spiraling towards me. I nearly froze, but I forced myself to move; rolling under it so that it only nicked my ear. Blood began to trickle down and Raven cursed, drawing another throwing knife. Then I saw Tetro looming behind her. I nearly screamed for her to watch out, but I kept running. Forgetting all about me, Raven clashed with the tribute from District 2, sword on dagger, and they wrestled and slashed at each other ferociously; like two wolves fighting for dominance.

My heart was pounding as I ran away; into the forest where I saw Jason run in. He probably thought I'd been right behind him. Even worse; a tribute may be right on my tail and I would be leading them right to Jason. Instinctively, I looked over my shoulder. Nobody seemed to be following me. The trees had swallowed up the clearing and the cornucopia and hid them from sight behind thick boughs of trees and foliage. The cannon sounded. My eyes widened and I pushed myself harder. Did Tetro and Raven kill each other? Who won? Did one of my friends die? Even worse, did Jason die?

"Jason!" I shouted, stumbling through the underbrush and hacking it away with the two swords. The ambrosia bounced in my jacket pocket and more than once did it fall out. Was he dead? The cannon sounded again. "JASON!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. I knew that it was going to give my location away, but I didn't care. Had he run into the force field? Was he attacked by mutts or another tribute? What the hell happened to him!?

All of a sudden there was a hand on my shoulder. I jumped and swung my swords at the other tribute; they could be hostile and about to kill me. I looked down to see Jason on the floor, his hands up in mock surrender.

"Oh my freaking God, Jason. You gave me a freaking heart attack." I moaned and collapsed against a tree, rubbing my temples. Jason chuckled, but it seemed rather strained. His expression became hard and his gaze was steely.

"I told you we should run, and like the little prick you are you ran into the cornucopia anyway. You could've gotten _killed._ You could've died-" Jason's voice cracked and his mask of emotions crumbled. He hugged me and I went rigid; Jason wasn't the touchy kind of person, but I finally relaxed and wrapped my arms around his waist. We sat there for a while, gathering our energy and thinking about the future. We weren't even an hour into the Games and two tributes had died already. I dreaded to see the pictures in the sky, and other people's pictures may join them.

"All right." I said finally, breaking away from Jason. He wiped at his eyes furiously and put his mask on. "We should constantly be on the move and only camp in the trees. We don't want anyone finding us." I said sullenly, handing one of the swords to Jason, who was nodding in agreement.

"Any longer in that hug and people would start shipping us. Heck, Jercy might even become everyone's OTP and we'll be the Star-Crossed Lovers." He joked and strapped it to his belt. I chuckled at this.

"I doubt that." I scoffed.

"Aww, you know you love me." Was Jason's snarky reply. He blew me a mocking kiss and I pretended to blush.

"Anything for you, dear." I said in the most feminine voice I could manage, which was still pretty bad. I sounded like someone who was choking on a duck. We both had to lean against a tree to keep ourselves from collapsing. Jason was clutching his gut, trying to breathe between fits of laughter and I was just laughing because Jason was laughing so hard; the son of Jupiter's guffawing was pretty freaking contagious.

"Okay…okay…that's enough…we should get going." Jason managed to gasp. He chuckled a little and the happiness was gone. This was the Hunger Games; it wasn't a joke. I nodded forlornly, hoping for just a few more moments with Jason; when we were just laughing and talking as if everything was going to be okay. I knew it wouldn't be okay, though; at the end of these Games one of us or even both of us would be dead. If any of us were going to live, it would be Jason.

"I will protect you with my life, Jason." I muttered under my breath. "I swear it on the Styx."


	13. Chapter 13

**(A/N) I'm so happy about how much support this story is getting. Thank you all so much, I couldn't be more grateful. I know I'm stalling and you guys really want to read your long-awaited update, but I'm afraid school has started and I'm stuck with homework and other cruddy stuff. It's awful. If I could update sooner, you guys, I would. **

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THG OR PJO**

**Nico POV**

I let out a cry of pain as Raven pressed a cloth that she'd dipped in the lake onto my bleeding calf. The knife, coming from Cara, had gauged a deep gash in the skin and now it was bleeding heavily. If it weren't for Raven, I'd be dead by now. We had retreated deep into the woods and had set up camp in a tree, but blood, my blood, dripped down and pooled on the fallen leaves below. I jerked as Raven pressed it even harder, biting back a scream. I moaned and dug my fingernails into my palms, leaving deep marks in the skin.

Raven and I were only equipped with four things; one sword, one dagger, a rope, and cloth. We were ambrosia-less and I was wounded already; I was the weak link in this unexpected partnership. I'd seen Raven throw a knife at Percy and I thought she'd kill him, but thankfully he'd dodged. I wanted to not trust her; she nearly killed probably the only person I cared about besides Hazel, but then again she didn't have an alliance with Percy. She'd probably been afraid that he'd kill her.

Now only one person whom I loved was still alive. Hazel had been struck down by a slash from Tetro, even though he'd been Frank's ally, he wasn't Hazel's. But I knew that wasn't the only reason he'd killed her, and the other reason was the only thing restraining me from mauling him. Luckily Tetro had given the poor girl a quick death, for nobody had wanted to see her dead. The reason he'd killed her was because he didn't want her to die in a more slow and painful way; he hadn't wanted her to suffer. Frank had wept over her body, begging Tetro to stab him too and, with a heavy heart, Tetro had slashed him down as well. Two lovers that wanted to die rather than to lose each other. A tear trickled down my cheek, but it wasn't because of the agonizing pain that was spiking in my calf, it was the grief that gripped me like a cold hand. Frank and Hazel were gone. I'd never see them again. I'd never see their smiles, hear their laughs, or chuckled at their awkwardness when it came to pickup lines.

Raven gave me a pitying look with her obsidian black eyes and withdrew the now bloodstained cloth away from my leg. I felt tears welling up, but I shoved them down. I couldn't worry or grieve; not now. Raven sighed and shinnied down from the treetops on the rope. I followed her, but with my wounded leg I was less…err…graceful. I got rope burn and I was cursing and yelping, but Raven didn't seem to mind as she helped me off the end of the rope. As soon as I put weight on my leg I bit back a scream, but a pained groan escaped my lips. Raven offered her shoulder, but I declined.

"Okay, so what do we do? Go around looking for people we can kill?" I scoffed. Raven chuckled at this.

"No. We do the opposite; we try to avoid as much tributes as possible. Tetro, Piper, Cara, Percy, Annabeth, Jason, and Leo are still out there somewhere, and even though you know your friends, you can only trust your allies out here in this cruel world." She replied sullenly. I nodded and began to limp in a direction I saw fit, with Raven on my heels, catching me if I tripped.

We walked for what seemed like hours and didn't see a single tribute. Raven kept throwing rocks in all directions just in case we were nearing the force field, which was a smart idea. That's when we walked into a clearing. There was something odd about it. No birds were singing. It was completely silent. "I have a bad feeling about this." I hissed. I turned in a circle, which was incredibly painful with my wounded calf, but there wasn't anything hiding in the bushes that I could see. There was a rustle in the branches overhead and we drew our weapons. We went back-to-back, gazing around warily.

"I'll go scout the perimeter. Watch my back." I told her and began to limp towards the tree line before she could object. She looked hesitant, but she knew that it was no use telling me otherwise. I felt the floor with my sword; scattering dry leaves and revealing the soft brown earth underneath just in case Leo or any other tribute had set any traps there. I found nothing. Then I heard a droning sound. Almost like buzzing. I tilted my head to the side and peered into the foliage that concealed the source of the sound.

That's when Raven screamed, "NICO WATCH OUT!" But it was too late. I peeled back the leaves to be greeted by a huge wasp nest, but it didn't look like wasps were there; these 'wasps' were huge, bigger than my thumb. "TRACKER JACKERS! GET AWAY FROM THERE!"

The tracker jackers began to swarm, heading straight towards me, the droning sound of buzzing ringing in my ears. I screamed and ran as fast as I could, my leg burning like the fires of hell. "RUN!" I didn't need to be told twice; Raven and I made a _bee_line (no pun intended) for the trees, but the swarm engulfed us.

Little stings like needles being driven into my skin clawed at any exposed skin. I screeched and stumbled, but Raven caught me. I saw huge welts appearing on her face and neck; huge purple swellings that weren't appealing to the eye. I didn't want to open my mouth for fear that the tracker jackers would go inside, but the pain was unbearable. I thought I was going to die. We ran and ran until our lungs burned and our legs screamed. My wound had started bleeding heavily, and the blood seemed to drive the tracker jackers into even more of a frenzy. They stung us over and over and over again, not even letting up for a second. I had no idea what the difference between a tracker jacker sting and a regular wasp sting was, but I recall Caesar talking about it when we were watching re-runs.

Sometime later we managed to lose the mutated wasps, but that didn't mean we stopped running. Finally I collapsed onto my side and skidded across the ground, twitching uncontrollably. I clawed at the nearest tree, hauling myself up. Pain seared throughout my body as I felt huge welts popping up all over my skin. It was awful, but I was glad the bees weren't on my tail anymore. I let out a strangled cry as I put weight on my injured leg. "Raven!" I screamed. "Raven!" There was no reply. I hadn't heard the cannon, so she was still alive. Had we separated during the desperate run from the bees? I looked around. "Raven?"

My vision began to blur and black spots danced in front of my eyes, but I blinked them away. That's when I saw the strangest thing. Caesar strode out from the trees, adjusting his armor. "The highly potent sting of a tracker jacker causes severe hallucinations; making the victim see things that aren't really there." Caesar strode past me. "The hallucinations of this sting target the disappeared into the foliage, only to be replaced by the bloated form of Raven.

"Why did you leave me, Nico? I'm dying!" she wailed at me.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I screamed and ran to her, but she disappeared just as I reached out to touch her.

"Nico! Nico! Help me!" That sounded like Percy. The son of Poseidon walked out from the trees with a long spear protruding from his chest. "This is all your fault, Nico! You could have saved me!"

"Percy! Percy!" I screamed and ran to him, but his form evaporated.

"Nico, save me!" screamed Hazel and Frank as they staggered out of the underbrush; knives protruding from their chests. They were supposed to be dead! How was this possible!?

"Hazel! Frank!" I shrieked and clawed towards them, only for their bodies to fall onto the ground, revealing knife handles in their backs. I screamed and recoiled. The trees began to shimmer as if they were reflections on water. The earth shook underfoot and a large chasm opened up by my feet. Tartarus. I couldn't go back there! I screamed at the top of my lungs as shadows began to erupt from it, pulling me ever so closer to the edge.

I ran in the other direction, still screaming. The trees began to melt into an oozing, dense, red liquid. The sharp metallic tang reached my nose. Blood. The sky swirled. The Blood pooled at my feet and made my shoes soggy and stained red. A bird the size of a jet soared over head, its form changing from a bird, to a pegasus, to a gryphon, to even a flying whale. What was this madness!?

-Ω-

Polybotes watched Nico's screen with particular interest as the tracker jacker poison did its work. He turned to his team of Hephaestus/Vulcan children who were unwillingly manning the Hunger Games controls.

"Cannon ready." The Giant said with a crooked smile as he watched Nico stumble around.

-Ω-

Black spots danced in my vision and I tripped and fell, landing face first into the blood. I struggled to stand by my muscles weren't working. I was still switching all over and the stings began to become more painful. Darkness crowded my vision. I was going blind. I couldn't go bind! How was I going blind!? What did I do to deserve this? I thrashed as the blood soaked me to the skin, filling my nose and mouth with the taste and smell of metal. It seemed to beckon me to give up, offering a wonderful and everlasting sleep. I made one final effort to scream as loud as I could before everything went dark.

-Ω-

**Jason POV**

"Nico?" I asked and shook my friend's shoulder. "Neeks?" We'd found him lying in a small creek; welts ranging from the size of plums to the size of oranges covering his skin in a pattern of swollen purple.

"Feed him another square of ambrosia." Percy said, his voice strained and his eyes revealing panic and worry. We'd heard the screaming and it had sounded like Nico's. He'd been screaming random names and things that didn't make any sense such as, "The trees are bleeding!" and "Tartarus!" Percy had nearly had a panic attack when we saw Nico's bleeding and bloated form. We'd brought him to our camp and settled him down on a blanket of leaves. We'd fed him as much ambrosia as we dared, but it didn't seem to be helping. The welts didn't go away. What were we going to do?

"They look like bee stings." I exclaimed, examining a welt behind his ear.

"Could he have been attacked by a mutt?" Percy asked, his voice filled with concern.

"No I said bees not dogs." I scoffed.

"I meant mutts as in mutations not mutts as in mixed breed dogs." He snapped. He knelt down beside me and we watched Nico as his breathing became even more ragged and shallow than it had been before.

"He'll die if we don't do something." I say and I could tell that Percy was biting back a sob. "Maybe the stingers are still in him, which would explain why the welts aren't going away even when we fed him ambrosia." The son of Poseidon recoiled in disgust, but he only nodded in agreement. I sighed. "Fine. You hold him down to make sure he doesn't punch me and I'll take out the stingers."

Percy had an iron grip on Nico's wrists as he pushed them into the ground. We gave each other a look and I touched one of the welts hesitantly. It was sticky and bloated; an ugly purple color. I gagged as I plunged my finger into it and came out with a huge stinger. And I'm not talking like 'slightly-bigger-than-usual' I'm talking 'huge freaking big-ass stinger that came from a bee that was created in the fires of hell.'

As soon as I removed it, foul-smelling green pus oozed out and began to dribble down. I felt today's meal rising up to my throat, but I forced it down when I saw that the welt was growing smaller and eventually disappeared, leaving only a faint scar. Percy gagged but still held a firm grip on the son of Hades' wrists. I removed another stinger and Nico yelped and squirmed in Percy's grip, but I knew that was only burying the stingers deeper into his skin. More green pus seeped down and pooled on the ground, causing the grass it touched to turn brown and die. I could barely keep my food down. This was completely and totally disgusting, but I was relieved when Nico's breaths became stronger. Twenty-three welts and at least two gallons of green pus later, Nico looked like himself again. He was breathing normally and his skin was the color of bleached clothes; normal.

Percy and I argued about if we should feed him another square of ambrosia or not. We'd already fed him at least three squares and I was afraid he's burn up. Our supplies of ambrosia had lessened; we only had nine squares left, but I didn't care. As long as Nico was safe I was all right with that. Percy wiped sweat off of his forehead and sat back, breathing heavily. Nico had been too close to dying for comfort. What if we hadn't figured out that it was bee stingers that were still embedded in the welts? A scene flashed before my eyes; Nico, still covered in welts, stopped breathing and the sound of a cannon could be heard. I shuddered.

"It's getting late." Percy exclaimed as the fake stars began to twinkle in the computer generated sky. "You should go to sleep. I'll watch Nico and wake you up if anything happens." I shook my head.

"I want to see who the two tributes who died today were. The announcement should be here by now." I replied. As if on cue, music began to play and the Giants' symbol flashed in the sky. Percy and I lay on our backs and watched as the image dissipated to be replaced by the smiling picture of Hazel.

"NO!" Percy and I screamed. Tears streamed down my cheeks and I buried my face in my hands. Percy was sobbing hysterically and he pulled his legs against his chest. Hazel had been too young. Too loving. Too gentle. I could've saved her but I'd chosen to run like a coward. I looked up to see that Hazel's picture had been replaced by Frank's. Hazel and Frank. Both gone. Percy screamed and pulled at his hair.

"Why? WHY!?" he wailed and buried his face in my shoulder, his body racked by sobs. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him closer to me. "It can't be real. I'm dreaming. It can't be." He cried. His tears soaked my jacket, but I held him close. He was warm and despite the fact that right now we didn't have our powers, he still smelled like the sea. I felt horrible. Percy had been tortured the most out of all of us and he'd lost so much already. I couldn't bear to see the once strong hero of Olympus break down like this. Hazel and Frank had been really close to him and now they were gone.

"It's okay. It's okay. They're in a better place now." I murmured into his ear. He calmed down a little but his soldiers still shuddered as the occasional sob came from his mouth. "I'm here. Don't worry. It's okay." Pretty soon Percy relaxed. I felt his ragged breathing deepen and slow. He let out a soft snore and snuggled against me. I watched him sleep; the son of Poseidon seemed almost peaceful. No tears streaking down his cheeks. No screams escaping his mouth. No crease between him brows or downturned lips. Just tranquility.

Careful not to rouse him, I scooted backwards until I was leaning against the bough of a tree that was next to Nico's sleeping form. I watched as the son of Hades breathed deeply and slowly, as if he hadn't just had a near-death experience. Percy squeaked in his sleep and shifted so that his head was pressed against my chest. I chuckled and stroked his back gently. I didn't want to sleep; anyone could ambush and kill us all, but tiredness tugged at my eyelids and they began to droop. I sighed and put my head against the tree, welcoming sleep's embrace.


	14. Chapter 14

**(A/N) School has started. UGGGGHHHHH. Wake up, go to school, come home, do homework, read, goof off like the idiot that I am instead of writing this, go to sleep. Repeat. There's A LOT of Jercy in this chapter, but not really. I ship it. I ship it a lot. It's not my OTP, but it's a close second; only being shadowed by Percico. I do not care if you don't ship it. Deal with it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own THG or PJO**

**Percy POV**

I woke up with a start. Oh gods, I'd had this horrible dream that we'd lost the war and tortured, and then we were thrown into an arena to fight to the death! I sighed and relaxed into my mattress. Just a dream. Just a dream. That's when I realized something. I was sleeping sitting up and my mattress was slightly…curvy? I buried to face into the fabric and smelled something…familiar. I sat wriggled up more and something brushed against my cheek. My eyes snapped open. Oh no. Oh gods no.

A strand of golden hair had lightly skimmed my cheek and I wasn't sleeping on a bed; I was leaning against Jason. I looked around to see that we were surrounded by trees and that foliage caused the light of the oncoming morning to shine through the treetops. It hadn't been a dream. This was reality. It was a horrible, gruesome, sick reality, but still reality all the same.

Roused by the movement, Jason stirred slightly, mumbling something to himself. He smelled like the cologne he always wore. It was funny that we were in an arena where other tributes could possibly gut me in my sleep and I was musing over Jason's freaking cologne, but I still relaxed into his chest all the same. It was comfortable and we seemed to fit together, like two puzzle pieces. No bones or limbs were jabbing me or causing me discomfort. It was perfect and almost comforting.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and he opened his beautiful blue eyes a crack, only to close them again, a smile playing on his lips. He embraced me; his arms tender and his touch light. I traced over his back with my finger, mapping out all of the muscles, bones, and little indents. He chuckled softly and I felt lips brush my cheek softly. A shiver raced up and down my spine and a little fire ignited itself in my chest. I drew back, astonished.

"Did I take it too far?" he laughed quietly. Just the sound of his rich voice made that fire burn a little brighter. I felt the heat rising to my cheeks as Jason brushed a loose strand of hair out of my face. I shook my head no to his question and he smiled, causing my blush to deepen so that my cheeks were a color that was usually reserved for tomatoes. I broke away from him as Nico began to stir, sitting up and rubbing his eyes whilst groaning. Jason's expression looked hurt, but it was replaced by a look of urgency and we knelt beside the son of Hades.

Our shoulders brushed and it seemed like electricity sparked off of him and traveled around my body, giving me the jitters. If I hadn't known that his powers were disabled, I would've thought that that exact thing happened. Nico blinked and turned to the two of us.

"Am I dead?" he asked in bewilderment. "Who won the Hunger Games? I hope it was one of our friends and not one of those douchedicks from the Giant's army…aside from Raven. Raven is okay."

"Douchedick?" I asked, my confusion clearly showing.

"Sorry, inside joke." The son of Hades chuckled.

"No, you're not dead. Still, Raven is bad news. She's dangerous and can easily kill any one of us. She must've escaped the bee-things that stung you guys; her picture wasn't in the sky and I haven't heard a cannon since…" my voice cracked as I remembered Hazel and Frank.

"They're called tracker jackers. They're mutts; mutated wasps. Raven warned me in the first place, but I was a retard and ignored her. She's a great ally. You can trust her, I know it." Nico insisted.

"She threw a knife at my head!" I snorted.

"Oh please, at least you're not dead." Nico scoffed

"Well my ear was all red."

"No it wasn't. You looked fine."

"Jason. Dude. You just spoiled the flow." I snorted and crossed my arms. Jason looked offended, but he somehow looked insanely attractive while doing so. Wait…did I just say that? I was, or had been, truly and sincerely in love with Annabeth. I was straight. Then why did a zing go through me every time we touched, no matter how abrupt? Was I bisexual or something? I've never felt this way towards guys…before. What was happening to me?

-Ω-

"Man, do I love messing with their hormones." Polybotes laughed and elbowed Porphyrion in the ribs as they watched the seen displaying Nico, Jason, and Percy. Percy looked dumbfounded and he shivered whenever Jason touched him, so that suggesting that the tracking device was doing its work. Tracking the tributes and disabling powers wasn't the only thing it could do.

"Really?" Porphyrion grunted, not looking very amused.

"C'mon, it's funny. You have to admit. So far Percy and Tetro think they're gay or bisexual, even though they've been straight their whole lives, Annabeth and Cara think they're lesbian and I'm going to mess with all the other tribute's hormones as well. It's fun to do and funny to watch. The only three I cannot touch are Nico, Jason, and Raven; Nico is already gay, Jason is bi, and the after effects of the tracker jacker poison are still wearing off on Raven." Polybotes snorted.

"Stop. You're provoking gay and lesbian ships." The Giant King growled.

"You got a problem with that?" Polybotes snarled to his brother, clenching his fists. "Because I don't see a problem with that. We get more viewers; Jercy T-shirts are getting so much buys that we could build a second arena with it. And I'm talking like _billions _of dollars. I think they should be coined the Star-Crossed Lovers."

"Well, yeah. It's a problem. It's not natural-"

"Homophobe. You freaking homophobe."

"_Excuse me?_"

"Your VIP pass into the heart of the Hunger Games' computer system has been taken away. Go. Leave. Or else I'll stop the Hunger Games and set all of the tributes free to rampage the Capitol."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

-Ω-

**(Still Percy POV)**

Jason, Nico, and I trudged through the forest; shouldering through thickets and dense clusters of trees. It was a really rough terrain. We kept our eyes peeled for any other tributes or one of Leo's traps, but saw none. Jason's hand skimmed against my lower back for a moment as Jason slipped and tried to grab onto something before he fell, which happened to be me. I helped him up and he smiled at me, his blue eyes like pools of beautiful sparkling water. I didn't feel that zing that I'd had whenever he touched me, though. I almost wanted it back, even if it meant that the love between Annabeth and I had only been brother and sisterly love; that I was really gay, which I honestly didn't have a problem with, though I wish I'd had my sexuality in order by the time I turned fourteen.

"You okay? You seem…disturbed." Jason whispered, his lips brushing against my ear as he said this. What was wrong with him? I mean, being gay wasn't a problem or anything, but Jason currently had a girlfriend.

"I'm fine. Other than the fact that I have to fight my friends to the death and only one of us is going to survive, I'm okay." I reply, but my voice sounded rather crestfallen. Nico scouted ahead, raking the surrounding landscape with his keen sense of vision. He hacked away at branches and leaves with his sword, which was unfamiliar and alien to us; we were so used to seeing him with a Stygian Iron blade in hand. The son of Hades turned to us, his face sullen. My stomach chose this time to howl like a malnourished dog. My two comrades chuckled a little at this, but their faces became serious once more.

"We should get food." Jason exclaimed.

"Says who?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

"Your stomach."

"Just because I'm hungry, guys, doesn't mean you have to get food. I don't want to be the weak link or anything."

"Don't worry; even _I'm_ hungry. Nico is probably hungry, too. Aren't you, Neeks?" Jason asked the tribute from District 12, who only shrugged. The son of Jupiter smiled, sending shivers up and down my spine. Thank gods the feeling was back once more. I was worried I'd never feel the same way again. "Then I'll go look for some berries. Don't worry, I memorized all the plants from the Plant Identification station. I won't feed us poison berries." And with that, he disappeared. My stomach twisted. I knew it wasn't safe to let him venture alone, but I had to let him go about his own business and not be on him like a tick.

I collapsed against the bough of a tree, my feet aching and my stomach roaring. My muscles screamed from all of the labor and my throat was dry. I turned to Nico, who was fiddling with his sword. He drew a heart I the ground, though I thought that Nico would draw something along the lines of a bloody corpse or a grinning skull. I was relieved that Jason had brought along his sword as he ventured out, but I was still more than worried; I was terrified.

"You haven't talked much." I noted and Nico looked up with round, sad eyes. He shrugged and continued to draw as he waited. I swore that he drew a P + N inside the heart, but he quickly scuffed up the drawing with his foot. I frowned. Obviously something was bothering Nico. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He sighed.

"You don't look like it. Are you sure?" I asked.

"I'm sure. It's just that…we need to talk."

"About what?"

"Well…there's something I should've told you a long time ago."

"Like…?"

"I have…I have a…sort of a…" Nico was just about to spit it out when the cannon sounded.

"JASON!" I screamed and leapt to my feet, drawing my sword. I ran the way that Jason had gone with Nico right on my heels. The look on his face showed relief, though why he would be relived about the cannon sounding was a mystery. "JASON!" I screamed again. There was no reply. Uh-oh. We ran through the forest, shouting the son of Jupiter's name over and over again, but to no prevail. Was he dead? Who killed him? That's when I crashed into something and the impact knocked me to the ground. My head ached with a horrible pain, but I didn't think that I'd run into a tree.

I looked up to see Jason rubbing his forehead and groaning. He saw the two of us and his tight features were replaced by a look of utter relief. "Oh my gods that goodness you're alright. I thought that you guys had been ambushed." He sighed and helped me up.

"You thought _we_ had been ambushed? Jason you were _alone. _We thought that someone had…had killed you!" I hissed and hugged him tight. He tensed and looked at Nico, who was poker-faced. Behind those eyes though, was anguish; as if it were painful to watch us hug. Was he…jealous? I quickly tore away from Jason. But that's when we head rustling. All of us whirled around to see a figure strut into view as if she owned the place. She had curly blonde hair that fell down her shoulders in a cascade of golden locks and he held a long knife in her hand. Annabeth.

I tensed and leveled my sword so that the point was aimed at her throat. She wasn't any of our allies; only Cara's. If that was the case, though, then where was Cara? That's when I saw the fresh blood on her dagger; so fresh, in fact, that it was still dripping. She had made the most recent kill.

"Where's Cara? I thought you two were allies." Jason demanded. "If you're here to challenge us, there's three of us and only one of you." A sly half-smirk quirked on her lips. Her steely grey eyes glimmered with intelligence.

"I killed her." She said simply. The three of us gasped. I'd thought that Cara was more likely to break their alliance than Annabeth was. What the hell was wrong with her!?

"Why did you do that? You had an alliance; you're not supposed to kill each other unless it's the final battle. Cara was more decent than you and she worked for the Giants." Nico spat. His fists were clenched and his eyes burned with a rage that I'd never seen before. Ever. Why was he so upset? What did Annabeth do to upset him? Annabeth laughed; a maniacal cackled that sent shivers racing up and down my spine. I used to love this girl. Now look what the Giants had done to her.

"She told me to kill her." She sneered. "I am going to win this, do you hear? So I was more than happy to do so." Then it dawned on me. Cara had seemed so depressed; she looked hard and strong on the outside, but if you looked into her eyes you could see so much sadness and suffering. The second suicide of the Hunger Games. First Frank. Then Cara. My life was falling apart. It took all of my will to prevent tears from coming down; I barely knew Cara and crying about her just made me look weak in front of my completely insane ex-girlfriend.

"What do you want?" I asked, but my voice was trembling.

"Oh, that's easy. I want you all dead." She snickered. Nico made a menacing snarling sound in his throat and Jason scowled deeply. I could feel my own rage building up inside of me, threatening to break free.

"And how are you going to do that?" Jason hissed. His sword glimmered in the light of the late afternoon sun.

"With this." Annabeth produced a vial from the pocket of her jacket. Glowing green liquid sloshed around inside of it. Greek fire. The three of us backed up as she held it out over the ground. If she dropped it, the entire arena would set ablaze.

"You wouldn't dare." I growled. "You'll just kill yourself as well as us."

"That doesn't matter. As long as you're dead, Percy, I really don't care what happens to me." I repeated that last sentence over and over and over again. Before the Giants took over, she never would've said that to me. Ever. A tear finally made its way down my cheek when I thought about the memories we shared. None of that mattered now. We were enemies in an arena.

"Where did you get that? I didn't see any Greek fire in the cornucopia." Nico hissed, his voice dripping with anger.

"I got sponsored. Unlike you three losers." She laughed, but it was without any humor. "Goodbye forever." And she dropped it. We were only able to run for a few yards before a column of blazing green flames shot into the sky. Everything in the immediate vicinity set ablaze. I waited for the cannon to sound; signifying Annabeth's death, but it never came. I ran side-by-side next to Nico and Jason as we dashed through the trees. Smoke billowed into the sky as the Greek fire ate away anything and everything in its path. I gagged and choked on the fumes as I tried to keep low in order to breathe, but Greek fire wasn't like that. The smoke was everywhere and it burned my throat as I breathed.

The fire was spreading so quickly that it was gaining on us. That's when I heard a crackling sound. Not from the Greek fire or the burning plant life. It was from something else and it sounded as if something was building up. "Duck!" I screamed and we all dove to the ground as a fireball the size of your average basketball hurtled over our heads. It struck the tree in front of us and green flames immediately began to eat away at the bark.

We pivoted and ran to our right, the sound of the flames roaring in our ears. Fireballs hurled at us from behind and we could only barely dodge them. Jason came so close to being fried that the tips of the hairs on the top of his head singed. My legs screamed and my throat and lungs burned like lava. The smoke was killing me. It choked and suffocated my; filling my lungs with burning fumes. I only barely was able to breathe in enough oxygen as the smoke became denser.

The trees began to open up to reveal the clearing of the cornucopia. We were almost safe; the cornucopia would be able to shield us from the worst of the fumes and the fire. My heart pounded in my chest and blood roared in my ears as I forced myself to run faster than I ever had before. We could make it. We could make it. That's when Jason collapsed onto his side, coughing and gagging. "Go!" I screamed to Nico and shoved him forward. "Go to the cornucopia! We'll be right behind you!" Nico looked at me. His eyes were wide with terror and he shook his head.

"No, I won't leave you guys!" he screamed over the hissing and crackling of the green flames, which were closing in on us.

"Just go! If we die, win it for us!" I yelled back. At this, Nico turned and ran. I saw tears streaming down his face as he disappeared behind the trees and ran towards safety. I turned and sprinted to Jason, kneeling at his side. His chest heaved with effort and he was choking on the smoke. Ash and soot smeared his face and his blue eyes were growing dull.

"Jason." I murmured and touched his face. He managed a weak smile.

"Go." He rasped, pushing me with a weak hand. "Don't let me ruin your chance of survival. Nico needs you." The roar of the fire was growing louder as the flames neared us. A tear trickled down my face and I shook my head.

"No. I'm not going to leave you to die alone. If we burn, we burn together." I murmured into his ear and sat beside him. The son of Jupiter struggled into a sitting position and he wrapped his arms around me. Tears fell as he buried his face into my hair. The fire raged around us and the smoke stung my eyes, nose, and throat, but at that moment it was just the two of us. I kissed him. My first time kissing another guy, but a kiss was a kiss. Tingles raced up and down my spine as he entwined his fingers into my hair and pressed me closer. Even if we were an inch from death, we still had each other.

"I love you." He whispered. His voice cracked and more tears trickled down.

"I love you too." I replied hoarsely. The flames closed in and lapped at us, just close enough to singe the hairs off of my arms. I didn't care though. Jason was there and I felt safe, even if the Greek fire was about to engulf us. That's when the capsule dropped from the sky. It was made of metal and made beeping sounds and it floated down on a parachute. The little capsule landed in my lap and I exchanged a look with Jason.

"Open it." He croaked. The flames were burning us now; scorching our arms and legs but not close enough to actually burn our chests and faces. It was agonizing and stung like a thousand bees, but I didn't care. With trembling fingers I opened the capsule and there, neatly tucked inside, was a delicate glass vial. Red liquid sloshed around inside of it and I immediately remembered a similar potion from training back at the Tribute House. This was a potion of fire resistance. Next to it was a note that read: **_Jercy 4 evah! Warning: This potion doesn't protect your clothes. :) –Silena_**

****Oh my gods. This was a sponsorship.

"Quick! Drink half of it and gimme the other half!" I exclaimed urgently and handed the potion to Jason, who fumbled with the cap and drained about half of the vial. I snatched it out of his hands and drank the rest; tossing the bottle back into the flames. That's when the stinging pain of the burns receded. I looked at Jason and gasped. He was completely engulfed in green flames but he looked fine, except for the fact that his clothes burned off. I looked down and realized that I too, was surrounded by flames. We looked at each other and became red-faced, diverting our gazes.

"We should get moving before the effects of the potion wear off." I say awkwardly. Jason only nodded in agreement and we set off towards the cornucopia. It was weird walking in fire. This must be how Leo felt when he was using his fire-user abilities. My skin tingled with a peculiar sensation as the deep green flames danced around me, trying to burn me to a crisp but unable to do so. Finally we emerged into the clearing. There was no more grass, only blackened earth. Apparently the fire hadn't been able to get much fuel from the grass.

Immediately, I leapt into the water of the nearby lake, wading in until it was covering my waist. Jason got the hint and leap in after me, dousing me with a huge splash.

"You little crap!" I snarled and splashed him back. He spluttered and retaliated and that's when an ultimate fight to the death became a splash war. We looked up to see Nico standing at the edge, his mouth agape.

"How…?" he began.

"Sponsorship." Jason and I replied immediately.

"Your clothes…?"

"Got burned."

"Then how…you know what, never mind. I shouldn't ask. As long as you guys aren't dead I'm okay. I honestly was waiting for the cannon to go off. I guess I'll just-"

"Nico?"

"Yeah?"

"Are there any leftover clothes in the cornucopia? I don't feel like killing enemy tributes in a leaf loincloth or anything."

"Oh, Percy." Jason scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Was it something I said?"


	15. Chapter 15

**(A/N) This…this is amazing. I am getting so much support. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY THIS IS MAKING ME. *gives a thumbs-up from behind a stack of homework* Week #3 of school hasn't even started yet and I'm already drowning in a sea of studying (yup, there are quizzes and tests this early into the year), homework, and practicing ****_Italiano_****. **

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THG OR PJO**

**Warning: MAJOR, MAJOR, MAJOR, MAJOR FEELS**

**Nico POV**

I woke up screaming. A hazy image began to form as I opened my eyes and my stomach constricted. The walls of a cell; the cold, stone walls of the cell back at the Great Giant Prison. I screeched and my back slammed into the wall. I banged on the sides and screamed for my friends, for Bianca, and I swear even Chiron's name came up. My vision seemed to skew to the left and I collapsed onto my side, sobbing into my hands. The cold stung any exposed skin and the hunger gnawing at my stomach was painful….

"NICO!" I looked up to see Percy. That was strange. I'd thought I was the only one in the cell. My eyes drifted to behind Percy, where Jason was gazing at me worriedly with round, panicked blue eyes. Beyond him, though, were trees and the lake. We were in the cornucopia, right where we'd fallen asleep.

"The Giant Prison! We were in…the Giant Prison!" I managed to choke between the sobs that racked my body with every breath. I felt the son of Poseidon's arms around me and I slumped against his warm chest, my tears soaking his shirt.

"That's not real. Don't worry. I'm right here." He whispered into my ear as I snuggled against him. The smell of the sea wafted around me and the salty scent was comforting. Finally, I managed to calm myself down. I mumbled words of thanks into Percy's shoulder and broke away from him, clambering to my feet.

"It wasn't a dream, it was real. I swear. I _saw _the cell. I could_ feel _the cold and the hunger." I stated and ran my fingers through my uncharacteristically short hair. It had grown out a little since Cinna and my prep team had cut it, but it still wasn't as long as it had been before.

"We know. Your eyes were open, but you were screaming names and banging on the walls of the cornucopia with your fists. Nico, I think you have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I think we all have it, though Jason and I are only haunted by dreams and not by visions." Percy explained, both his expression and his voice were aggrieved.

I sighed and looked at my combat boots, which were covered in filth. I wonder if a life of fighting and suffering was worth living. Then I looked up to see Percy and Jason, who had engaged in a quiet conversation, but even if their tone and their faces were solemn, their eyes were still bright. They were still the Percy and the Jason that I had known before Gaea had risen. I needed to be strong. For them.

"All right, let's get going before some other tribute comes. I'm glad I didn't see the faces in the sky. Or…face. Cara was too young, too talented to die." Jason murmured, partially to himself. But with that he hefted his backpack, which was now stuffed due to the supplies and food we'd salvaged from what remained from the bloodbath, and began to walk towards the tree line. Percy chewed on his lip and followed him, checking his surroundings warily; his eyes darted around and his head was on a swivel, almost like a deer.

I trudged after Percy, the bulk of my backpack weighing me down. Most people would crumble under the weight of it after a few steps, but between my training and the fact that I was a demigod, it was nothing. I have to admit, I didn't blame Percy for being so jumpy; I felt rather…exposed and I wanted to dash into the tree line and be obscured by brush and tree trunks, but out here in the clearing there was no cover. I had a tingling feeling on the back of my neck and all of my hairs were standing up, as if a set of eyes was watching me. I brushed the feeling off. We were alone; the arena was so big that close to none of the remaining tributes were even within a mile vicinity of the clearing. I was just being paranoid.

I wiped off some sweat that had been beading on my forehead as I stepped foot into the expanse of trees that offered excellent cover. Percy and Jason seemed rather relieved as well; the tightness in their shoulders released and the guardedness in their gazes relaxed a little. That didn't mean that we let our guard down, though; every leaf that fell, every twig that snapped under our feet, every rustle of the foliage above sent us drawing our weapons.

Every once in a while we'd stop to rest, but we didn't dare take from our varying but still limited supply of food unless it was completely necessary. Who knows how long the Games would last? We may just have to resort to hunting if we ran out. But I think we're more likely to die than to run out of food. Still; better safe than sorry. The same scenery flashed by; trees, bushes, leaves, branches, and the occasional wildlife. The birds sang in the trees like a little, beautiful choir. Jason stalked ahead of Percy and me, making it his responsibility to check for danger coming from ahead.

He raised his sword to chop away a scraggly bush that was in his way when a voice from the trees screamed, "STOP!" Jason leapt back and we all drew our weapons, leveling them at the spot where the voice had come from. A jovial laugh erupted from the branches and thin, callused fingers pushed them away, revealing the face of a certain Latino elf.

"Leo!" we all cried at once. The son of Hephaestus leapt down from his perch and ran to us. He was covered in grime from head to toe, but that served as an excellent camouflage. Leo was always covered in something; whether it be oil, grease, or dirt this guy was always a big mess. His curly hair stuck up in some places, complementing the wild gleam in his brown eyes.

"Did you miss Leo-Bad-Boy-Supreme Valdez?" he asked us and we all laughed. Nothing like Leo's cheesy humor to get you going during rough times.

"Of course." Jason exclaimed, his blue eyes shining. They shared a bro hug and began to chat and joke while Percy and I watched awkwardly from the side.

"Sorry to interrupt your long-lost bromance, but we're kind of in an arena with five other tributes on the run who want to possibly kill us." I interjected.

Leo whistled, "Nothing like Death Breath's pessimistic nature to put a damper on the mood." He waggled his eyebrows.

"There was a mood?" Percy asked quizzically and we all laughed. After the chuckling died down, Percy continued and pointed to the scraggly bush, "Why can't we uproot that?" Leo grinned; the familiar, mischievous, cheeky, troublesome grin that I'd gotten used to.

"It's a trap." He told us. "If you chopped that down or even stepped on it, you and your companions would fall into a pothole that has an assortment of wooden spikes waiting for you at the bottom." Our eyes widened. Man, Leo was a genius. I couldn't even see the pothole even if I tried to look for it. I wonder how Leo made it. You can't just make a pothole; it has to be natural. But Leo was a son of Hephaestus and he could do basically anything.

Percy clapped slowly. "Not bad, Valdez. Not bad."

"Like you could do better, kelp face." Leo retorted and crossed his arms. At this, Percy put a hand over his heart in mock offense.

"Your words hurt me." He sniffed and pretended to weep. The rest of us chuckled, and Percy eventually joined in.

"So, would you care to join us?" Jason asked. I frowned at this; if Leo came along, that would be four mouths to feed, four people to be stealthy, and another person for me to be responsible for. But Leo needed protection; so far I didn't see any weapons on him besides his traps and a small knife, but other than that Leo was basically vulnerable as anything. Leo's happy expression fell. His bright eyes became dark and stormy.

"Sorry, I can't." he murmured and looked at his feet.

"Wh-wh-what?" Jason's voice wavered and his eyes went wide. Leo didn't make eye contact with any of us and kept his attention on his shoes, which were scuffling the dirt and leaves below him. "B-b-but why?"

"I can't be endangering you guys. I'm scrawny and not good at fighting or protecting people. Look what happened on the Argo; I failed to protect you and Piper and look where that got us," he gestured around us, "I can't have that happen again. I'm just dead weight."

Jason make a strangled sound in his throat and opened his mouth to say something, but Percy hushed him. Reluctantly, the son of Jupiter closed it and set his jaw stubbornly, but he didn't object. He nodded grimly; we had to respect Leo's decisions. Leo turned away and walked back towards the tree from which he had come from.

"Are you sure?" Jason asked meekly. Leo faced us and I was surprised to see that his eyes and cheeks were wet with tears.

"I'm sure." Leo choked. Then he quickly clambered back up the bough of the tree, using the branches to hoist himself up. The son of Jupiter sighed and began to continue forward, careful to give a wide berth to the bush that would send him into a pit of stakes. He didn't look back as his form disappeared behind the boughs of trees. I began to jog to catch up to him and console him in some way, shape or form, but Percy held me back. The look on his face told me: _Give him some time._

I grudgingly nodded and we trailed behind him, giving him some space. I looked back only once to see two broken-looking, brown eyes staring at me through the foliage of the tree, but my head quickly snapped forward. I couldn't think about the fact that we were basically leaving Leo behind. He could die. And that would be one more friend to either grieve over or join in Elysium once these Games were over.

-Ω-

**3****rd**** Person POV**

Jason was lost in his own thoughts as the trio trudged through the underbrush aimlessly. He kept thinking about how Leo could be hurt or worse. If another tribute didn't get him, the capitol would. Jason imagined flames raging behind Leo as the son of Hephaestus ran; his immunity to fire disabled for the Games as his skin charred. Another vision, this one more gruesome, of Leo being stung to death by tracker jackers and chased by mutant dogs. Leo was anything but safe. He shouldn't have decided to brave the Games alone.

Percy and Nico on the other hand, kept their distance and glanced up every moment or so to make sure that Jason hadn't been ambushed by a tribute. They spoke in hushed voices about battle strategies and the enemy tributes. No one seemed to notice the dirty blonde streak that stalked a little distance away; her feet touching the ground so lightly that she didn't make a sound. One slip and they'd detect her. One snap of a swig and there would be a sword through her chest. Her grey eyes twinkled with malice and her mouth contorted into a rather crooked smile.

Percy and Nico had come to a decision; Nico would go to console Jason while Percy hung back and watched for trouble. As the son of Hades padded over to the very upset-looking son of Jupiter, Percy's gaze scanned the underbrush, his sparkling green eyes skipping over Annabeth as if she wasn't even there. It wasn't the son of Poseidon's fault, though; the daughter of the wisdom goddess was very well camouflaged and her blonde hair was streaked with dirt and leaves, dulling the honey color that would've alerted her ex-boyfriend of her presence.

"You okay?" Nico asked and Jason looked up, his blue eyes glassy. Not wanting to seem weak, the tribute from District 5 blinked them away. The sides of his mouth twitched; signifying the fact that he was desperately trying to suppress a sob.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He managed to croak. He most certainly _did not_ sound fine; his voice was raspy and I cracked mid-sentence. His lips were chapped and peeling, causing Nico to automatically feel the sting of the chapped lips of his own. Jason's eyes, which were usually bright, looked rather gloomy; they had dulled from the color of the sky to the color of stormy waters.

"You know, Leo is smart. And crafty. And fast. He's the fastest runner out of all of the tributes. He'll be able to get away from anything the Capitol throws at him." Nico assured him, trying not to sound too optimistic.

"Garbage." Jason scoffed and kicked a branch so hard that it launched into the nearest tree, where it snapped in half. "I know he's smart and crafty and fast. It's just that the other tributes, Annabeth for example," The figure that they were unaware was following them tensed at the sound of her name, "she's smart and crafty and fast, too. I'm just…worried." Nico nodded in agreement and they presumed to walk in silence together for a while, with Percy on their heels but still giving them a good amount of space.

"I can assure you, he's going to be okay." Nico said finally as if that would help to reduce the horrible stress, tension, and anxiety in the air.

"What a load of garbage." Jason snarled. There was no reply. Jason wondered if he had taken it too far; that he'd offended the son of Hades in some way. That's when Percy screamed. The only thing that Jason could register was the slight rustle and crackle of leaves and twigs and a blonde streak darting away out of the corner of his eyes before Nico slumped against him.

"NICO!" Percy screamed and ran to them, snatching the limp form of the son of Hades from Jason's arms. He gently lay the tribute from District 12 down on the ground and that's when they saw the arrow that was protruding from his chest. It was far enough away from his heart to not make death instantaneous, but close enough for it to be fatal.

Tears were streaming down Percy's face as Nico opened his eyes a crack. They were full of pain and suffering, but there was a light of hope in them that the other two children of the Big Three had never seen before. "Jason! Get the ambrosia!" the son of Poseidon cried and with a mighty wrench he yanked the arrow free. Nico wailed and his back arched as Percy tossed the arrow aside and it landed some distance away.

The son of Hades' blood was beginning to spill onto the leaves as he struggled to breathe. Jason desperately rummaged around through all the backpacks and produced their bag full of ambrosia, which he handed to Percy. He was just about to give Nico some of the godly food when the dying boy murmured, "No."

"No?" Percy's voice cracked and more tears trailed down his cheeks. "What do you mean by 'no'?"

"I want this." Nico's voice was barely a whisper. "I want this. Better…than suffering." His voice was strained, as if it was painful to speak. The blood now soaked his shirt and the blood stained the dry leaves underfoot a horrifying crimson color.

"Nico. I can't lose you. I just can't. Not after Hazel and Frank and Cara. I can't have another friend dying." Percy sobbed and gripped Nico's hand tightly. Jason kneeled on the other side of Nico, not saying a word. He knew not to interrupt.

"Percy." Nico whispered. His eyes were becoming glazed and it was clear now that he was struggling to breathe. He was only holding on to his life by a thread, and the only reason he didn't let go was because he needed to tell Percy something.

"I'm right here. I'll always be here. I promise." Percy managed in between the sobs that violently racked his body.

"I liked you." The son of Hades said, his voice quiet and nearly inaudible.

"Stop talking about yourself in past tense. I like you, too." The son of the sea replied.

"No. I…_like liked _you."

"You mean…? Don't worry. It doesn't matter. I love you Nico. I love you."

"I love you too. I've never felt so…free." Nico's voice faded and the last thing the two other grieving boys heard was a faint and quiet, "Bianca?" The son of Hades smiled and closed his eyes for the last time. The cannon sounded.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N) WHOOOOO! This update is so much faster than that last update. I promise that after/during weekends the updating process will certainly speed up. I think I've killed your feels, though. These "happy" readers told me so! XD**

**Guest #1: ****OH MY GOD THE FEEEELLSSSS!  
Oh by the way the "Bianca?" at the end was just genius *slow clapping*  
Please update soon... :D**

**Guest #2: My feels**

**Fandomgirl12: HALA story worm. NICO! annabitch is the perfect name for her. FRAZEL! i hope my tears dont drown you. Please update, im sick so I got off easily and read the whole thing today  
See ya( dramatically storms off in tears)**

**Get ready for more feels! If your feels weren't broken enough, get ready for another dose of depressing-ness! This is the Hunger Games, you know. I was planning for Nico's death to be like Rue's death. That was, in my opinion, the MOST TRAUMITIZING DEATH in THG. Don't worry; there won't be that much major deaths from here on. I promise. *crosses fingers behind back as I say this***

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THG OR PJO**

**Warning: Some suggestive content but no nasty stuff. I promise. **

**Percy POV**

"Nico! Wake up! Wake up! Please! You have to wake up!" I dissolved into a fit of tears and pressed my forehead to Nico's. The warmth of his skin was already retreating. "Please. I love you. I love you. Wake up. Just…wake up." I knew it wouldn't work, though. The cannon had sounded. Nico was gone. Gone forever. The stars overhead twinkled mockingly as night settled upon the arena. I kissed Nico's forehead. His skin was cold as my lips pressed against it. I curled up beside him and put my head on his chest. I didn't hear a heartbeat and there wasn't any heat radiating off of him like it should be; almost like the sheets of a bed in the winter.

I closed my eyes and thought of how I first met Nico di Angelo, the kid from Westover Military Academy who was obsessed with Mythomagic and looked up to his big sister. Now he was dead. He didn't get a chance to do things that people had the right to do.

He couldn't graduate college with a group of friends and get a job whilst moving into a house.

He couldn't meet the love of his life tell her, excuse me, _him_ that he loves him.

He couldn't ask his lover's parents if he could marry him, getting down on one knee and proposing to him when the time finally came or even vice versa.

He couldn't get married with all of his friends clapping and cheering as they kissed as they were announced husband and husband.

He couldn't grow old with his husband and live life to the fullest.

He couldn't grab his husband's hand on his deathbed and tell him that he loves him.

All of those opportunities had slipped away from him, just as if someone had pulled a carpet out from under his feet. I cried myself to sleep as thoughts of the life Nico could've had filled my head.

I woke up to the light of the artificial dawn and looked at Nico's peaceful face. I immediately began to sob as the memories of last night's events came crashing down on top of me like a wave. Jason, who had been sleeping nearby, had been roused by my cries and he staggered to his feet. I could tell from the redness of his eyes that he'd cried in his sleep. I could relate.

Jason walked up to me and hesitantly put a hand on my shoulder. A bad move. I didn't want his optimism. I didn't want his words of his encouragement. I didn't want anything from him. I wanted Nico. I wanted Nico so badly that my chest hurt. I whirled on Jason as overwhelming rage consumed me. He didn't understand. He'd never understand. "GET AWAY FROM ME! YOU ARE NO HELP! YOU DID NOTHING! YOU DID NOTHING TO SAVE HIM! THIS IS YOUR FAULT! I'D RATHER YOU DIE THAN HIM!" I screamed and balled my fists, tears streaming down my face.

Jason staggered back as if I'd struck him. "Percy. Why…why would you say that?" his voice was quivering and tears dripped down his cheeks, soaking his shirt. That's when I'd realized what I'd done.

"Jason please, I'm sorry! I just-" I reached out to try and put a hand on his arm but he slapped it away. My skin stung where his hand had struck and left a red mark.

"You know what? You don't need me! You never needed me! You just think you can use me to get through the Hunger Games and then turn on me in the end! Well that's not happening!" Jason screeched.

"It was just an outburst! I was just so angry and the grief just took over! I promise it won't happen again! I need you Jason! I need you!"

"YOUR PROMISES MEAN NOTHING! YOU ONLY NEEDED ME SO YOU COULD WIN! YOU DON'T CARE! YOU'VE NEVER CARED!"

"Jason, please-"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!"

"Jason!"

"I HATE YOU! _I HATE YOU_!"

Jason took off into the trees, grabbing his sword and his backpack. I got up to chase after him and snuck a hesitant glance at Nico's lifeless body. I gave him one last kiss and sprinted after Jason.

"Jason! Jason!" I screamed and propelled myself to go faster. The son of Jupiter was as fast as the wind (no pun intended) and he darted through the trees with grace (another pun wasn't intended) and sure-footedness. I, on the other hand, had about as much 'grace' as a water buffalo. I was beginning to lose sight of him; only his blonde mop of hair allowed me to race after him.

I was weighed down by my backpack and sword and I hoped that Jason was the same, but I knew that he had been through years upon years of Roman legion training and the backpack was probably nothing to him. I grimaced when I realized that Nico's backpack, filled with supplies and food like the other two, was back in the death place of my friend. We'd lost all of that and another tribute could easily collect it.

"Jason please!" my voice was hoarse from screaming and crying. I finally lost sight of the blonde streak that was my only guide. I ran blindly and hoped that I was running in the right direction. Branches clawed at my face and arms, but I didn't care. I needed to get to Jason. He was the only person I had left. I kept screaming his name until I couldn't scream anymore, but there was no reply. I was probably attracting a lot of attention from either tributes or mutts between the shouting and the stumbling through the thickets and trees, but I didn't care.

Finally I emerged into a small clearing. A stream trickled nearby. Jason was nowhere to be found. I looked around desperately, wondering where the tribute from District 5 had went. Jason could get hurt by another tribute. Or worse. That's when I saw the most horrible thing. The steady trickle of water became more sluggish as the stream ran red. A harsh, metallic tang reached my nose. It was blood. "JASON!" I screamed and ran upstream to the source of the redness.

I kept listening for the cannon, but between the crackle and snap of twigs and leaves underfoot and the blood roaring in my ears I might've missed it. I looked up and stopped dead. Sitting on a rock, his backpack tossed to the side, was Jason. Tear tracks dotted his face and his eyes were still misty, but he didn't seem to notice me as he raised his sword over his left wrist. A shallow nick in it was already dripping steadily and his blood was soaking the stream.

Just as he was about to slice it across, I screeched hoarsely, "JASON NO!" and tackled him. His sword skidded out of reach and I planted myself on top of the blonde boy, using my extra weight to pin him down. He struggled for a few moments under me, but he soon gave up, laying his head on the leaves in defeat. I tossed my backpack so that it joined Jason's and looked at the son of Jupiter in the eyes. I could feel the tears trickling down my face as I planted my elbow in his ribcage.

"Don't you ever, _ever _do that again." I hissed, though my voice was wavering. Jason looked up at me and I saw that his blue eyes were full of pain and suffering.

"Why do you care?" he whispered so softly that I had to lean in to hear it. "You'd rather have Nico back than have me living. It doesn't matter if I die. After all, I'm the one who's to blame for Nico's death." I chewed on my lower lip. He was using my own words against me.

"I'm sorry." Gods that sounded so lame.

"That doesn't really cut it."

"Then what about this?" I leaned down and our lips locked. He tensed in surprise, but eventually he relaxed and pulled me closer to his chest. We stopped only to breathe and I enjoyed every second of it. His hands traveled up and down my back, tracing all the bones and muscles and I entangled my hands in his beautiful blonde hair that I loved so dearly. "Is this working for you?" I murmured around his lips.

"Shut up I'm trying to map out all the muscles and bones in your back so I can remember what it feels like forever. It's kind of muddled though." He replied and unzipped my jacket and tossed it away, slipping my shirt off too. He traced out all of the creases and vertebrae with a gentle, soft touch. "That's better." I leaned against his chest and smiled, breathing in the smell of him. I forced myself to remember that smell. If I went to Elysium and forgot everything, I wanted the scent of Jason to be the only thing I could remember, just like how I remembered Annabeth when Hera wiped my mind and plopped me into Camp Jupiter.

"Hey, not fair!" I exclaimed when I realized that I was the only one with my shirt off. Jason smirked and shed his jacket and shirt. I leaned into him and we just listened to the sound of the creek. Kissed a few times. He leaned down so that his lips brushed my ear.

"All I want is you. I know that sounds cheesy; it's an over-used pickup line." He chuckled and bushed a strand of raven black hair out of my face. His blonde hair seemed to glow in the light of the artificial afternoon sun. His lips quirked into a half-smirk and I just had to kiss him. We both laughed after we withdrew from each other. "Just earlier this morning we were screaming at each other and now we're making out."

"You have a girlfriend." I reminded him as he cuddled me for a little bit.

"So?" he asked and his eyebrows rose. He folded his arms, which made it very difficult to sit on his lap.

"We were _kissing._"

"Eh, whatever. You're hotter."

"That's not a 'eh, whatever' situation. She's going to be pissed as hell when she finds out."

"_If _she finds out."

"You're a little crap, you know that right?"

"I seem to have assumed that nickname. Hey, can I call you Seaweed Brain?"

"Err…no."

"Why?"

"Because it's just weird."

"We're kissing shirtless next to a creek in an arena where other tributes want to kill us and you're calling me saying 'Seaweed Brain' weird?"

"Touché."

Jason grinned and picked me up. I spouted some nasty rated-M curse words at him and called him some rude names, some which were so racist that it would be rated higher than M. He carried me over to the stream as I thrashed and kicked and screamed more profanities at him. The son of Jupiter held me over the stream and I growled at him. I hated the fact that he was taller and stronger than me.

"_Don't you dare._" I hissed.

"Oh, I would dare." And with that, he dropped me into the creek.

I gasped as the cold water hit me like a slap. It was shallow, only up to Jason's ankles, but it was so freaking cold. Without my powers, I was left soaked and freezing. "YOU LITTLE PIECE OF-" I screeched as the arctic water seeped through my pants and shoes and chilled my skin to the core. I leapt to my feet and chased the tribute from District 5 around, promising him a very slow and painful death. I was finally able to tackle him and we landed back in the same position we started in. It didn't take long for it to become a passionate kiss.

I ran my hands up and down his chest and felt the warmth pulsing off of him, heating my cold skin. Jason didn't seem to mind that I was sopping wet, he only leaned into the kiss and made it fiercer. He entangled his fingers into my hair and made the wet black locks even messier than they already were. I didn't just feel warm on the outside, I felt warm on the inside. A welcoming and fuzzy feeling spread from my lips to my head to my shoulders to my toes and it felt good. Jason let out a soft moan and drew away to breathe only for a fraction of a second before he pulled me back into it. He'd just begun to pull me even deeper into the kiss when a twig snapped. Both of us leapt to our feet.

It wasn't anything bad, though. Xavier stared at us, his eyes wide. His wings fluttered nervously and his eyes changed from a worried blue-grey to a very embarrassed light green.

"Uh…I heard Percy screaming so I…uh…should I go? Yeah, I should go." Before Xavier could take off, Jason stopped him.

"What's wrong, Xavier? Too pure and uncorrupted to experience hot, gay boy make-out sessions?" he taunted, which only made the tribute from District 11's cheeks flame a rosy red. I didn't like the fact that Jason had put it that way, but it wasn't entirely false.

Jason leaned down to kiss me again when Xavier snapped, "HOLY CRAP, GUYS! WASN'T MY REACTION A CLEAR ENOUGH MESSAGE FOR YOU? GET A FREAKING ROOM!"

"Gladly."


	17. Chapter 17

**(A/N) I AM SO SORRY FOR THIS SLOW UPDATE I AM GOING TO PUNISH MYSELF FOR MAKING YOU ALL SUFFER.**

***Go sits in the corner with a dunce cap on my head***

***thinks about life***

**I can't believe how much support this story is getting. I didn't know how well of a writer I was. Apparently, I'm pretty decent because I've captivated you guys up to this point even though I'm ripping your feels apart! Again, sorry about the slow updates. I'm trying.** **Just to let you know it will only be Jason and Percy POV from this point on unless something happens and I need to put someone else's POV. It's hard when you've been wading through a sea of homework. I've already had to complete four projects in four different classes. Maybe I should clean up my room a bit. **

***clears room of all the homework that's piled on the floor***

***finds missing stuffed animal, a dead body, and cure for cancer***

***looks around for a moment***

***shrugs and walks out***

**RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWW!**

**Okay, I know I'm going on and on and you want to read the story but this is really, really serious. I'm planning on releasing a mutt out after them. Which one should it be?**

**The dogs (I will incorporate the dead tributes, but I'm not sure if it's too early in the Games for this. If not chosen I will insert them in another time because the dogs are a big part of the Hunger Games.)**

**The killer orange monkeys **

**Jabberjays (like in Catching Fire)**

**The lizard things that killed Finnick**

**ANY MONSTER FROM ANY OTHER BOOK BESIDES THE PJO AND THG SERIES. EXAMPLE: GRIEVERS FROM THE MAZE RUNNER AND THE CAPAILL UISCE (BASCIALLY WATER HORSES THAT KILL PEOPLE) FROM THE SCORPIO RACES.**

**IF I HAVE NOT READ THAT BOOK THAT YOU HAVE MENTIONED I WILL REVIEW ON MY OWN STORY (THAT SOUNDS PRETTY LAME) ASKING YOU FOR A DESCRIPTION SO CHECK THE REVIEWS EVERY ONCE AND A WHILE IF YOU SUBMIT A MUTT. **

**I READ A LOT AND I'VE PROBABLY READ MOST OF THE POPULAR YA BOOKS OUT THERE. THE ONLY THING THAT I MAY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IS MUTTS THAT ARE FROM HARRY POTTER. **

**I (I KNOW IM GOING TO GET A LOT OF HATE FOR THIS) DO NOT LIKE THE HARRY POTTER SERIES. I LIKED THE FIRST BOOK, BUT THE SECOND ONE RUINED IT FOR ME. I TRIED TO RE-READ THE FIRST AND SECOND BOOK AND FORCE MYSELF TO READ THE SERIES, BUT IT WASN'T WORKING OUT I KNOW THAT ALL OF THE POTTERHEADS ARE GOING TO RAM DOWN MY DOOR AND KILL ME**

**Even one vote counts, so you better all chip in unless you want another person's choice to be written. All of the mutts that are submitted must be real as in a true monster that has been put into a story by a professional author. It can't be make-your-own like the SYOC at the beginning of this story. It seemed like such a long time ago…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own THG or PJO**

**Jason POV**

"Put your clothes on." Xavier growled and stalked off into the bushes. Percy and I laughed, which made it difficult to put our shirts and jackets back on. I couldn't believe that I'd almost slit my wrists only an hour earlier. I didn't know what had gotten into me. My mind was clouded and my ears rang with Percy's harsh words, and the pain of Nico's death stacked on top of that and I simply…cracked.

"You okay?" Percy whispered into my ear. I shivered as a zing went through me at the sound of his voice. My skin tingled and the smell of the sea made it rather difficult to concentrate. I loved it.

"I've never been better." I replied with a grin. We grabbed our backpacks and our swords and prowled in the direction that Xavier had disappeared. We found Angel Boy leaning against a tree, his eyebrows raised.

"I need some Holy Water and an eye dropper." He told us.

"Why?" Percy asked incredulously, his sea-green eyes sparkling with bewilderment.

"I need to cleanse my eyes after experiencing two dudes having a super hardcore make-out session the middle of the woods." The two of us laughed at that, but Xavier's face was stony and dead serious. He crossed his arms.

"Let's just go." I scoffed and prodded his arm as we began in the opposite direction of the clearing that I'd nearly killed myself in. I shivered at the memory, even though it had only happened nearly an hour ago.

"I still need that Holy Water, though." the tribute from District 11 snorted. I wandered to the front of the group and felt the ground with my sword, feeling for any of Leo's traps. I avoided any scraggly bushes just in case they were a trap as well. Ugh, Leo was forcing me to be on my toes. Who knew what that Latino elf was up to now?

"You're not serious." Percy said, his lips pursing. He obviously was thinking what I was thinking; the entirety of the Capitol had probably almost experienced

"What makes you think I'm joking?"

"Just shut up Angel Boy. We don't have Holy Water."

"Then bless the freaking stream. THAT MEMORY IS PLASTERED TO THE BACK OF MY EYELIDS. UUUUGGGHHHHH MY EYES! THEY BURN."

"I'm not a priest, idiot. Even if you're an angel you still have the language of a well-educated sailor."

"SHUT UP."

We walked in relative silence for an hour or so, taking in the sights and sounds of the forest. That didn't lower our anxiety, though; every twig that snapped, every leaf that crackled made us jump. The Hunger Games wasn't over just because Nico had died, though I'm almost positive that all of the monsters on Team Nico are rioting. Xavier began to whistle a little tune, and we marveled at him. His whistling was perfect and pristine and we couldn't even whistle, let alone whistle that well.

That's when a whistle answered him. The three of us tensed as Xavier's four-note tune repeated itself over and over, yet the son of Aristaeus had ceased his whistling. That's when there was a fluttering of wings and a relatively small bird landed on a low handing branch. Some foliage was covering it slightly, but I made out the ripple of black and white feathers.

"A mockingjay." Xavier murmured, the corners of his mouth tugging upwards in a slight smile.

"Mockingjay?" I asked in bewilderment. The name of the bird nagged a little in the back of my mind. I felt that I'd heard it before, but it had left me. I had loathed that feeling more than normal people ever since Hera took away my memories and I was sure that Percy felt the same way. When the tribute saw our confusion, he explained.

"It's a mutt. Right after the Giants rose they released a horde of mutt-birds called jabberjays,"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa; I thought you said they were called _mocking_jays." Percy interrupted. Xavier shot him a withering look with his piercing, constantly-changing eyes. His irises, which had been an anxious ice blue, turned a dark navy. He obviously didn't like to be disrupted. Reluctantly, Percy closed his mouth and pursed his lips so that they were merely a thin line.

Xavier continued, "Jabberjays were exclusively male, and they released them into Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. Jabberjays could mimic human voices and basically repeat anything that they were presented with without even having to be taught like a parrot. They lived in the Camps and picked up any conversations that the prisoners were having with each other, just in case they were planning a rebellion. They were successful most of the time and caught many rebels, who were executed. If you know any of these people, I'm terribly sorry for your loss, but the Giants gave us the names of those who were killed. This included but was not limited to Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano, Dakota, and Gwendolyn."

I tried to restrain a gasp, but it sounded like I was choking on something. Percy put a hand on my shoulder, but not even he could console me. I'd thought that Reyna was still alive, that she was watching me right now on TV with all of my other fellow Romans. I guess that wasn't the case. My legs felt like Jell-O, but I had to stay strong.

Xavier continued, "After the praetor had been executed, the campers knew that something was definitely up. Their praetor was hard to catch red-handed and they always noticed the new and rather intriguing little black-and-white birds that were certainly new to the area. They began feeding the Capitol lies, making them react to rebellions that weren't even going to happen. Fed up with being fooled, the Capitol stopped the mutating of jabberjays and left them to die. They didn't die, though. The jabberjays mated with female mockingbirds and even though that jabberjays are now extinct, though the Capitol could still mutate more if they wanted to, a new species of bird emerged; the mockingjay. It can't mimic words but it is excellent at mimicking rhythms."

Percy immediately whistled the Indiana Jones theme song though it was very sloppy compared to Xavier's whistling and for a moment I doubted that the mockingjay would sing back, but the little bird puffed out its chest as if it was proud of the fact that it was being noticed and sang the tune right back to him. Percy laughed and nudged me with his elbow. His green eyes sparkled.

"C'mon you try." He asked with a goofy grin. I shook my head madly, but that didn't prevent me from smiling.

"I'm not that good." I replied. Percy grabbed one of my arms and jostled me violently, all the while complaining.

"My whistling sounded like crap and it still repeated me. What do you have to lose?" the son of Poseidon whined.

"Fine." I snapped and shoved him off of me. He stumbled back, clutching his gut and laughing so hard that he crumbled to his knees.

"You…should've seen…the look…on your face!" he managed to gasp in between fits of hysterical laughter. I frowned, which only made Percy laugh even harder. I turned to Xavier, who only covered his mouth in attempt to contain a chuckle.

"What?" I asked, and turned in a circle. I swore I felt a little drag in my hair, but I deemed the feeling just my mind laying tricks on me. "What's so funny?" I demanded, planting my foot on the ground to add to the effect.

"Mockingjay!" Percy guffawed and pointed at me.

"What the hell? What do you mean by-" That's when I looked up to be greeted by a little black bird with a rather long and narrow beak and a black head, with a white breast and splashes of black and white here and there. It cocked its head at me and snuggled into its nest, which just so happened to be my hair. I was intrigued by the intelligence that glittered in the mockingjay's eyes. It was rather astonishing. It cawed and flew off into the trees. I stood there for a while, staring off at the spot that it had disappeared, simply marveling at what nature could create out of one of the Capitol's experiments.

"Alright, let's get going." Xavier growled and herded us off into the trees like a mother bear of some sort. We wandered aimlessly for a while "Knock on wood," Xavier rapped his fingers against the bough of a tree, "But I haven't seen any other tributes around besides you two. I have a feeling that they're coming for us."

"Yeah. I already know that Tetro and Annabeth are hostile. I have no clue where Piper and Leo may be, but they could be lurking in every shadow. They aren't hostile, though." Percy says, his brows knit together into a straight line. He was chewing on his lower lip to the point where a steady trickle of blood began to drip down. The son of Poseidon either didn't know are didn't care.

"Wait," Xavier halted and turned to us, "You're saying that there are only eight tributes left? Four tributes are dead already?"

I nodded solemnly. "Yup. Hazel, Frank, Nico, and Cara." I choked on the words and we padded in utter quiet for a while, silently mourning the loss of our comrades. Birds tittered and tweeted a little melody above our heads, but their voices where nowhere near as beautiful as a mockingjay's. Their wings fluttered and the sound of twigs snapping and leaves crunching underfoot was the only thing I could register. Nico was dead. Frank was dead. Hazel was dead. They wouldn't be coming back. Ever. I wouldn't be able to hear their laughs, their voices, or see their dazzling smiles.

In my head I could stay with them; remember them as if they were only out on a long vacation or as if they had moved away, but they would never truly be back. I sank deeper and deeper into my sorrow as I remember Nico's last word; Bianca. His sister's name. His sister had come to wait for him and as his soul had slipped out of him, he was able to see her; just for a moment. Nico had said that Bianca had chosen rebirth, but I guess that she was reborn as a mortal and the Giants had slaughtered her along with the rest. A tear trickled down my cheek.

That's when my head smacked into cold stone. I was viciously jolted out of my reveries as I toppled onto my butt. Percy's hand flew to his mouth and he tried not to laugh, but that didn't prevent a little snort of amusement from escaping him. Xavier was biting his upper lip in order to restrain himself, but it seemed to be a failing battle all the same.

"Didn't you hear us?" Percy chuckled as he helped me up. I dusted all of the twigs and dirt off of my clothes indignantly, which caused Xavier to make a rather strangled sound. Restricting laughter sure made a very weird and creepy sound. The agony in my head was unbearable. My forehead throbbed with a familiar aching pain, a pain that I was familiar with from being hit in the head with bricks all the time.

"Hear what?" I groaned and rubbed the spot that was hurting so badly, which only made more pain spike up.

"I said 'wall' and you just kept right on walking." The son of Poseidon snorted. I looked around. We were in some sort of enclosure that resembled an alley, only natural. There were three sides that surrounded us, the wall I bumped into being the back. They were severely steep and towered overhead like stone giants standing guard, preventing us from climbing up. That meant that there was only one exit. My heart began to pound and my chest tightened, causing my stomach to do summersaults in my gut. This reminded me all too much of the iron walls of the box.

_I couldn't move my legs. I could barely breathe. The dark was all that existed..._

It took all of my willpower not to retch. Sweat trickled down my face and soaked my jacket and my breath quickened to the point where I was hyperventilating.

"Jason!" Xavier shouted, but his voice was but a dull disturbance that was drowned out by the ringing in my ears. My vision blurred and my knees buckled. I collapsed onto the ground as black crept to the edges of my sight and threatened to cover my entire sight, but I fought them back. I was aware of my two comrades shaking and yelling my name, but I was unfocused; my mind was somewhere else. With that, the black engulfed my eyesight and I was shot back in time.

_This wasn't like one of Hazel's flashbacks. Instead of being a bystander, I was reliving the entire experience; seeing, feeling, smelling, hearing, and tasting whatever I was doing at the time. The only problem was that this wasn't just a pleasant memory. This was a horrible nightmare. _

_ "__I SAID TALK!" Polybotes' voice shook the ground as he whipped me again. The pain hit me; sharp and fresh and all too real. It carved a deep red line into my flesh and it joined one of many, many others, including the white and ugly scars from yesterday and the day before that. I my back arched with pain as I screamed and struggled feebly in my chains, but it was no use. Those chains had held me tightly for all of my individual tortures and they didn't show any sign of giving way anytime soon. On top of that I was weak. Very weak. Hunger viciously and savagely tore at the insides of my stomach, which was undoubtedly very small due to the lack of food to digest. _

_ "__Please." I whimpered. "Stop." But I knew that Polybotes had no sympathy; I knew he wouldn't show me mercy because he didn't even have any mercy to show. The Giant tilted my chin up to that I was forced to look at him. My tears fell down and splattered on the floor, but Polybotes' expression was that of malice and not at all lenient. _

_ "__You are worthless, Jason Grace. You and your friends are only alive right now to provide me with entertainment and because you filthy little bastards don't deserve to be welcomed into Death's embrace. I love hearing you boys scream, but I delight in your screams the most. Why? You seem to be the one, besides Perseus Jackson, who has fallen the most. One moment you were the powerful son of Jupiter and praetor of the twelfth legion and the next moment you're nothing. I have other ways of making you talk, Jason Grace, and I am not afraid to exert those…methods on you. Spare yourself more pain and ANSWER ME!" he bellowed. _

_I shrank back and my chains rattled as I trembled so violently that Polybotes' hand, which was holding my hair in an iron grip, vibrated. I was surprised that he didn't tear all of my hair out, but he knew that if he did that I would be spared of a minority of suffering; no hair means no lice and no lice is one less torture that I had to endure. Polybotes grinned as I placed my head down in defeat, bracing myself for more lashes. I would not tell him. I wouldn't. _

_ "__I'll ask you again, Mr. Grace. WHERE ARE THE HUNTERS OF ARTEMIS HIDING?! Their patron goddess is indeed in Tartarus, but her Hunters are nowhere to be found. I need to know their location. Your sister is the lieutenant. I know that you know where the camp is. TELL ME!" he roared. I shook my head and let out a rather strangled wail as he lashed me again. Blood, thick and hot, ran down my bare back and soaked the tattered rags that used to be pants. I had no idea why I still kept them on anymore. It's not like they provided warmth or covered anything. _

_Polybotes stepped back to admire the work that was my back, which was sliced to ribbons. I sobbed quietly; a soft and pained sound that held so much feeling yet was nearly silent. The clock on the wall chimed, signaling that it was time to go back to my cell with the others. I nearly sighed in relief as guards hustled into my room and held me down as I writhed. Violently they shoved ambrosia down my throat and I choked and gagged on it, trying to throw it back up. I wanted to die so badly that it hurt, and the fact that my whip wounds were closing up didn't help me accomplish that. _

_ "__Keep it down!" a Cyclops, which was clearly a high-ranking officer, ordered and shoved his huge palm against my mouth as I retched against his hand, trying to get the ambrosia out. This forced me to swallow my own vomit and thus caused me to choke and gag once more. Heaving hurt my stomach and it felt as if my abdomen was on fire as I felt bile spew against the Cyclops' hand as to replace all of the food that I didn't have. It burned my mouth and throat as it was forced down again. I moaned and tried to struggle, but I was just wasting my energy. I puked again, this time a sharp metallic tang filled my mouth as it hit the Cyclops' hand and traveled down my throat again. _

_ "__The damn kid is coughing up blood! God damn it just stop already!" the Cyclops exclaimed agitatedly. I cried out once more and nothing came back up. Tears streamed down my face as two guards grabbed one arm each and prepared to drag me out of the room, but that's when the most horrible thing happened. _

_ "__No." Polybotes growled. My eyes widened and I whimpered again, not unlike a kicked puppy. "Leave him. We haven't gotten anywhere and the entire point of this individual torture is to get information. I got no information, so he stays until he gives me some." The Cyclopes guards nodded and filed out, leaving me in a crumbled and bloody heap on the floor. The Giant stooped down and looked me in the eyes. _

_ "__You must learn that torture isn't over once the clock chimes. You only get rewarded if you cooperate." He snarled and dragged me up another floor, not bothering to realize that I had been knocked unconscious from hitting my head on a step. I welcomed unconsciousness like I would welcome an embrace. It wrapped me in sweet darkness and I didn't feel pain or sorrow. Just bliss. I had no idea how long I was out, but it felt like only a second before I was jolted awake by a punch in the face. _

_I moaned, but that was just a tickle compared to some of the other horrors that he inflicted upon my thin, useless body. _

_ "__I was going to save this for tomorrow, but I guess that now would be a good time to introduce you to the first long-term torture." _

_ "__L-l-long term torture?" I squeaked. That didn't sound good. I tried to wriggle out of his tight hands, but the Giant kept my too-skinny arm in a death grip. _

_ "__Yes. This torture lasts for _days_. And nobody even has to beat you!" Polybotes cackled. He sounded like a madman. _

_ "__No!" I wailed and attempted to struggle again, but to no prevail._

_ "__Your torture awaits." The Giant snarled, but he was grinning from ear to ear as he dragged me though a heavy iron door. It wasn't so that I wouldn't be able to bash it down; this door was installed so that nobody would be able to hear you scream. Two Laistrygonian Giants stood on either side of a metal box that was nailed to the floor. The box was small. Very small. I wondered what horror lay inside it. _

**(A/N: Fun Fact: this method of torture is actually still used to this day! O_O)**

_"__W-w-what's in there?" I stammered as Polybotes hustled me towards it without a hint of gentleness. _

_ "__You!" he hissed. A look a pure horror and confusion crossed my face, but I was only able to register the two guards tying my hands and feet together so tightly that my wrists and ankles bled before Polybotes shoved me, screaming and writhing, into the box. It was so small that they had to fold me into a very uncomfortable position before the top closed. I heard the click of a lock and automatically knew that I was trapped. Outside I heard the gruff voice of the Giant exclaim, "This will get the little bird to sing." _

_I screeched at the top of my lungs as tears streamed down my face. I already felt the pins and needles in my legs as the circulation was cut off. In normal circumstances I would've stretched my legs out in order to get rid of them, but in this box I couldn't stretch out. I pushed on the sides and wailed for help. I swore that I heard the muted laughter of Polybotes and the guards, but I didn't care. I wanted out. But it was no use. I was helpless. The only light came from two holes; one by my head and one on the opposite wall, because I couldn't necessarily say that it was by my feet. _

_They were my only source of light and of oxygen, but I would've gladly had someone seal it up if it meant I would die, even if I was suffocating slowly. I howled and sobbed. What did I do to deserve this? WHAT DID I EVER DO TO DESERVE THIS!? _

_Two days later when I was starving and I could no longer feel or move my legs, there was shuffling outside. Two days I'd been suffering in the box. My friends were probably worried sick, but I couldn't think about them right now. I was delirious and I had given up long ago. The cold metal walls, ceiling, and floor seemed to be the only thing I'd even known. That's when the hard-boiled egg slid through the hole by my head. I strained to wriggle towards it, but I was folded in such an uncomfortable position that I couldn't get to it. I watched in disbelief as the egg, my only source off sustenance, rolled past me and slipped out through the other hole. I screamed. _

_A day after that, I was taken out. The light burned my eyes and my legs hurt like hell as the blood rushed back to them. I was sobbing so hard that I was afraid that I would break my tear ducts. That was the Great Giant Prison's worst torture. And it was specially reserved for me. _

_ "__Now Jason," Polybotes began with faux compassion dripping from his voice as I lay on the cold stone floor, shivering. "Where are the Hunters of Artemis hiding?" With a shuddering breath, I let it all out. I confessed everything I knew. Where everyone was hiding. Where a good chunk of Camp Half-Blood and Jupiter campers that hadn't been caught were taking refuge. Tears trickled down my cheeks as I did this. I was a traitor. I betrayed my own friends. Polybotes' smile only broadened. _

_The Giant made a shooing motion with his hand and the same two guards smashed the metal box to pieces. I sighed into the cobblestones. I wouldn't have to worry anymore about being folded into the box again, but I knew that I had just doomed my friends. My family. The ones who had trusted me. I let them all down_


	18. Chapter 18

**(A/N) Sorry about the long update…again. Not only is school getting in the way, but I also have another Percy Jackson fanfiction that I'm working on called the Shadow's Song. You should check it out. **

**SO THE WINNER OF THE MUTT COMPETITION IS…**

***drum roll***

**THE DOGS…with only one vote. I guess that all of you agreed with Guest and that's fine by me. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

**Percy POV**

"OHCRAPOCRAPOCRAPOCRAP." I cursed as I paced back and forth, my hands clasped behind my back. I stopped for a moment to run a hand through my messy black hair and then resumed my pacing. "He's going to be okay, right?" I asked Xavier. There was an edge to my voice, a sort of undertone that clearly stated: _He better wake up. _The tribute from District 11 was leaning against a tree nonchalantly as if Jason hadn't just passed out.

"Calm down. He'll be fine. It's just his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder kicking in; the stone walls must've triggered a not-so-nice memory and he had a panic attack." He stated plainly. "He'll wake up soon." I glanced at Jason, who had been screaming in his sleep loudly to the point where I actually had to cover his moth with my hand as to not alert other tributes of our presence.

"I hope you're right." I murmured.

"What? Worried about your _boyfriend?_" Xavier mocked in a rather antagonistic and seductive way, puckering his lips and making a kissy face.

"Oh shut up. He's not my boyfriend." I growled and shoved him. Xavier steadied himself and raised his eyebrows at me.

"I find that hard to believe. You love him. I see the way you look at him. I found you guys kissing…passionately. That kiss couldn't have been fake. That's genuine affection right there." I hung my head and looked at my shoes. I had to admit that I wasn't ready to finally acknowledge the fact that I was gay; that Annabeth and I's relationship had never been real. I looked at Jason's sleeping form once more. He was snoring softly, but his eyes were screwed tightly shut and his expressions were changing from hurt to anguish to sadness.

_You love him. _A voice chided in my head. _Stop pretending you don't. _I opened my mouth to reply to Xavier when a scream ripped through the trees. A feminine screech followed by a horrifying howl and the sound of tearing flesh. The cannon sounded. That scream had been all too familiar. Raven, Annabeth, and Piper were the only three girls left in the Hunger Games and one of them was dead. I desperately hoped that it was Annabeth who had died, but I knew what Annabeth's scream sounded like. It wasn't hers.

I couldn't think about that know because the howl sounded again. This time it was closer.

"Okay, time to go." Xavier said in a tight voice and draped Jason over one shoulder as if he were a sack of flour. With that, we ran. We ran to the only place we knew was safe; the cornucopia. I drew my sword as another fierce howl tore through the sky. A chorus of baying erupted and I knew that sound all too well; hunting dogs did it all the time. The mutts, whatever they were, had caught our scent. They were after us.

"Go! Go! Go!" I yelled and shoved Xavier forward. Angel Boy stumbled and his knees wobbled under Jason's weight, but he managed to stay standing. Thundering could be heard behind us, along with snapping twigs and cracking branches. Snuffling and growling was exchanged among the pack of mutants as they chased us. Xavier's eyes changed from a calm shade of blue to a terrified gold. His wings fluttered nervously behind him as we ran. That's when I had an idea.

"Xavier!" I gasped and the boy turned to me. His snowy shock of white hair was buffeted by the wind. He looked absolutely frightened. "Go! Fly to the cornucopia. I'll be right behind you!" Xavier looked hesitant, but his angel wings spread to their full length. I sucked in a breath as I took in the beauty of them as every snow-white feather glowed faintly in the moonlight. With a single beat of his powerful wings, both he and Jason were gone. I didn't bother to search the sky for them as I continued to run. I knew that Xavier would save Jason. If I died, at least he had the chance to live and remember those of us who perished.

There was another spine-tingling howl and I forced myself to run faster. My muscles screamed and my heard hammered inside my chest like a drum. I felt my legs tiring, but tiredness was a weakness in the arena. But what was the point of living? I was just going to grieve over my fallen comrades anyway. Then I'd have to live with the memories and the flashbacks. My pace slowed and the howls and growls became louder and louder. I was stumbling now, the will to run and, sadly, the will to live had left me. I couldn't run. I didn't want to run. I wanted to die. I wanted to die…

_Jason was on his knees, bending over a limp, pale, and mangled form. Tears streamed down his face and he was crying uncontrollably. The form under him was unmoving. Their skin was an unhealthy, chalky white, almost as if they were a ghost. Huge chunks were torn out of their skin and their chest was ripped open, allowing a cascade of organs, most of which had been eaten, to flow out. Their head was tilted away from me so that I couldn't see their face, which was probably so mauled I wouldn't be able to tell who it was, but they did have raven-black hair that was spattered with blood. Jason was sobbing violently into his hands, his shoulders shaking. "Wake up!" he screamed and shook the person's shoulders. "Please, Percy, wake up!" Xavier came over and placed a hand on his shoulder._

_ "__He's not coming back." The tribute said quietly. His eyes were brimmed with tears. "He died a hero." Jason's eyes were like bits of broken glass; shattered and devoid of any will to live. His face grew hard and he grabbed the bloody sword that was gripped tightly in my hand. Before Xavier could move in to stop him, he raised it up over his chest and drove it through his heart._

_He collapsed next to me and murmured three quiet and nearly inaudible words, "I love you." The cannon sounded…_

The vision subsided and I gasped, stumbling back and clutching my chest. Had I just seen a glimpse of the future that was to come? Jason had killed himself just because he figured that dying was better than a life without me. At least there was a chance to find each other in Elysium. A fire ignited inside of me, a fire fueled by love. Newfound energy coursed through my veins and filled my body with adrenaline. I would continue to run. For Jason. I propelled myself into an even faster gait than before, the determination to survive pumping through my body.

I shot off like a bullet; leaping over fallen branches and swerving around trees. One of the mutts roared in outrage, which caused a chorus of bellows to erupt from the pack. The cornucopia was in sight; only a few trees were in my way. I ran as fast as I ever ran before. My arms pumped, my legs screamed, my lungs were desperate for air. My eyes watered as I continued to sprint.

I exploded out of the tree line and looked up to see Xavier waving his arms from the top of the cornucopia. His wings glimmered in the light of the full moon and I could see his white hair like a glowing star. He cupped his hands to his mouth and screamed, "Percy! Run faster!" That's when I became aware of the sound of things leaping out of the forest and into the field, baying and howling for my blood.

I ran so heard I thought my heart would burst, but I needed to get to Xavier…and to Jason. I couldn't avert my eyes from the ground. It simply took too much energy, but out of the corner of my eye I swore I saw a horrified look on Xavier's face. "Percy!" he yelled. "C'mon! You're almost there!" Time seemed to slow down. My muscles bunched, my heartbeat quickened even more. My arms extended as my feet left the ground. It was like everything was in slow motion.

Xavier ran to the edge of the cornucopia, holding out his hand, but his movements were as if he was running through jelly. His mouth was open, forming words, but they were dull and incomprehensible. The barking and snarling of the mutts blended together into one monotonous sound that stretched out for what seemed like minutes, but it was only for a few moments.

My body collided with the cold metal of the cornucopia and I grabbed onto the edge, scrabbling to haul myself up. My legs dangled over the edge and I could hear the thudding sound of the mutts throwing themselves against the cornucopia in order to reach me. The sweat on my hands made the ledge greasy and my fingers began to slip. Xavier ran over and reached down, yelling for me to grab his hand.

_I looked up at Nico from fifteen feet above. His hand was extended uselessly and his gaze was one of fear and terror. _

_ "__The other side, Nico! We'll see you there. Understand?" I called. I could feel the gravity of Tartarus pulling viciously at my legs. My fingers slipped another inch, but I didn't dare let go of Annabeth's hand in order to give myself another handhold. _

_Nico's eyes widened. "But-"_

_ "__Lead them there!" I shouted. "Promise me!"_

_ "__I-I will." _

_Then I let go of my tiny ledge and together, holding hands, Annabeth and I fell into endless darkness._

The flashback nearly made me lose a hold of the edge of the cornucopia.

"What's wrong with you Jackson?! Grab my hand!" Xavier yelled over the barking and howling of the mutts. I reached up and grabbed my ally's outstretched palm and he hauled me up. I lay on the top of the cornucopia, breathing hard. My hands were scraped raw from clinging to the edge, but at least I was in one piece. Jason was lying a little distance away and his chest rose and fell in a healthy and steady rhythm. I turned to the edge and daringly looked over. It was the first time I'd even gotten a glimpse of the mutts. I wish I hadn't.

There were at least twenty of them, all of them barking and bellowing; they clawed at the walls and left deep gashes in the metal whilst trying to clamber up. They were all wolf-like…if wolves were as tall as a decent-sized Fiat 500 and had four-inch, razor-sharp claws. Out of the twenty wolves, only four were distinguishable and unique; the rest looked exactly alike. They had course brown fur that was matted with blood and huge teeth that barely fit in their mouths. Their ears perked and swiveled as forms of communication were passed among the pack members.

The other four were the mutts that scared me the most. One of them was a sleek ginger color and had brown highlights. It was rather beautiful, but it was frothing and launching itself at the wall ferociously. It looked up and I nearly screamed. Its eyes were so human-like that I thought it may be just a person in a costume, but that was not the case. This ginger wolf had warm golden eyes that sparkled in the light of the moon. They looked rather friendly, which didn't at all match its ferocious demeanor. Come to think of it, the eyes looked exactly like…Hazel's. No. No it couldn't be.

I looked at the next wolf. It had rumpled silver-grey fur and a jet black, damp nose. I tried to get it to look at me, but it kept launching itself at the wall. It reared up on its hind legs and I expected it to immediately drop back down on all fours like a regular wolf would, but that was not the case. It remained on its hind leg and stared up at me with its human-like brown eyes. The eyes portrayed a sort of gleam that clumsy people would have; it was set into a position on the mutt's head so that it constantly had a look of 'Oops.' Frank.

The next wolf was a pearly white with a neat, downy coat. Its blue-grey eyes were quite beautiful yet calculating and it seemed to be the one wolf that wasn't wasting its energy. It paced back and forth angrily, its tail lashing from side to side as if contemplating the best angle to try and leap up and take a huge bite out of me. Cara.

Last but not least, the mutt that had its ears shoved forward and its tail held high as signs of dominance, was the alpha. It had a greasy, unkempt black coat and a canine that poked out from under its closed mouth. Its lips were contorted into a snarl and it pawed the ground in frustration. Letting out a howl of irritation, the mutt rammed into the wall full-force. I wobbled on my spot at the edge and peered down, only to be met by a pair of brown eyes.

They seemed both sad and hopeful at the same time, the eyes that an innocent child would have.

_"__Bianca?"_

I sucked in a breath as mutt-Nico growled and snarled at me, clawing at the wall with a huge clawed paw the size of my head.

"What did they do to the tributes?" Xavier asked breathlessly. He had obviously caught on with the Capitol's creations. I shook my head and a tear trickled down my face.

"I don't know." I replied shakily.

"The eyes are so real they could've used the tributes' real eyes." He exclaimed.

"Please don't put that image in my head." I snapped in reply. "So what do we do? Wait for them to go away?"

"That's not likely."

"It was supposed to be a joke."

"What was supposed to be a joke?" We whirled around and saw Jason climbing shakily to his feet, rubbing his head. His legs were trembling but his blue eyes were bright and healthy. I nearly sighed with relief.

"Just…I think the Capitol used DNA samples or something to create mutant wolves that look exactly like the fallen tributes." I said quietly. Jason staggered over to the edge and sucked in a breath when he saw the barking and howling horde of vicious mutts. I saw his blue eyes picking apart every mutt, comparing the features with those of Hazel, Frank, Nico, and Cara. After a few moments he turned to us, his face pained.

"You're right." His voice was tight and strained, as if a gigantic snake was constricting him.

That's when we heard a gasp. We whirled around and saw Xavier struggling for air as a grinning Tetro Valcan held a knife to his throat.

"Be a good angel and I won't feed you to the mutts!" he snarled and shoved Xavier towards the edge. Xavier yelped as he teetered, but the knife was still pressed against his throat. The tribute from District 2 turned to us. His green eyes glittered with malice. "I need something from you two. Give it to me and I might not throw your friend here to be used as dog kibble."

"What do you want?" I spat, clenching my fists. "Leave us alone!"

"Haha! Not likely. I want him." Tetro gestured to Jason with his chin.

"What? To kill? No. A thousand times no." I growled.

"No, no, no. You have it all wrong. I want Jason so I can tie him up, toss him into a hole somewhere, and when everyone else is dead I will come back and beat the living crap out of him and pick him off easily; a helpless opponent during the final battle is an automatic win. This is for victory. I will be the victor." Tetro said it all with a crooked smile.

"No!" Xavier managed to choke. The knife was digging deep into his neck now, causing blood to trickle down in drips of thick red. "Don't worry about me!"

"We won't let him kill you without a fight." I hissed. I leveled my sword at the smug-looking tribute's throat. Jason drew his sword as well, but his arms shook. He was still in a very weak state since his panic attack and I doubt he'd be able to hold out in a fight against the son of the goddess of war. He seemed very angry and determined, but his eyes were somewhat distant as if he were actually contemplating Tetro's offer. Was it really a decision? We fought Tetro and rescued Xavier at the same time! It was a no brainer!

"You see, there is no 'fight' option. If you chose to fight, fine by me, but this guy," he shoved the knife deeper into Xavier's neck, causing the son of Aristaeus to gag and choke, "goes flying over the edge. The mutts will feed well tonight."

There were a few moments of silence between us; glares and silent threats being exchanged. The mutts' growling and snarling, no matter how deafening and horrifying it was, faded into background noise. I stood my ground. I would not let Tetro take Jason, nor would I allow him to push Xavier.

"How did you get here, anyway?" I spat. "The dogs should've torn you apart. Then again they would've gotten indigestion due to the overdose of stupidity they would be consuming." Tetro's eyes narrowed and he pushed Xavier farther so that his heels were the only things anchoring him to the top of the cornucopia. Xavier's eyes were wide and he was shaking his head wildly; he didn't want Jason to be given over just because he would die otherwise.

"I have my ways. You better watch your mouth or he dies and I'm taking Sparky here by force. It'll be a lose-lose situation for you, Jackson." The son of Enyo said in a low and menacing voice.

"Won't you just do that anyway?" came my snarky reply.

"Oh you little-"

"Fine then. Take me." Jason whispered quietly, cutting Tetro off. His head was bent down and his sword had clattered out of his hand during our argument.

"What?" Tetro, Xavier, and I asked in unison. Jason was trembling and his lip quivered. His eyes were so full of pain I wanted to envelop him in a hug. He looked like a kicked puppy.

In a louder voice he said, "Take me." Xavier and I gasped while Tetro's grin widened. I could not believe what Jason had said. Was he insane? Why would he do that? Did he want to hurt both me and Xavier? He knew that I couldn't possibly live without him, yet he was willing to give himself up for Xavier's sake. It was such a Jason-like thing to do that it was almost funny.

"Look. The kid has some sense. Now that's how you bargain with the son of Enyo. At least you'll survive to the final battle." The tribute snickered.

He was just about to lunge at Jason when Xavier screamed, "No!" He jerked in Tetro's arms and the last thing I saw was him winking a peaceful and rather calm orange eye as the two of them went toppling over the edge and into the pack of dogs that howled and bayed in triumph. The two tributes fell in a whirl of white wings and Tetro's swirling tattoos. Tetro grabbed Xavier so that his wings were pinned to his sides. He couldn't fly. He couldn't escape.

But his face was a mask of calm and relief. He was finally relieved of his life of suffering. They landed on the ground and the mutts swarmed them, a whirl of snapping teeth, flying fur and flesh, and gleaming claws. The cannon sounded. Once. Twice.


	19. Chapter 19

**(A/N) Well I just finished my other PJO story so this is the only fanfiction I'm working on now. That means updates are twice as fast! Yay! I'm sorry if I hurt your feels in the last chapter…JK I'm not sorry. ALSO: BLOOD OF OLYMPUS IS OUT AND IT IS THE BEST BOOK OUT OF THE ENTIRE HOO SERIES! EVER! THAT'S WHO IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO WRITE THIS. **

********Okay, so there was this one review that just appalled me. It may have been intended to be constructive criticism, but the user presented it in the worst was possible. *******

**Guest said**:**_ I thought that this had potential, and then BAM! You ruined it. Seriously? Percy gay? Annabeth breaking up with him? You have to be kidding me!_**

**I do not wish to humiliate you publically, Guest, but what you said was certainly beyond me. You could've presented it in a rather well-rounded manner, but you chose to use the words that you did. If they were intended to hurt me and make me discontinue this story, then you are wrong. More people disagree with you. They enjoy this story, and I'm thankful for their appreciation.**

**If you don't like it, you shouldn't read it. You are a Guest, so it is rather obvious that you haven't written any stories. You have no idea what it's like to write your own work, so you shouldn't go on reviewing stuff like that on other people's stories in order to hurt them; you simply have no right to do so. You also reviewed on Chapter 16, which tells me that you didn't even read the entire story. If you didn't read all of it, you shouldn't be critiquing it in a negative way (Though constructive criticism is welcome.) You even skipped over the part that Polybotes was messing with their hormones. **

**I will not delete your comment, nor will I report you. I will leave it up as a sign to everyone that I will not stand for people like Guest. (Don't worry, all the other Guests are awesome so unless you reviewed that, you're cool :D) Consider this a warning and if you dare comment again on my story I will report your sorry ass.**

**Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue. I do not own THG or PJO and neither should you!**

**Jason POV**

Percy and I watched the sky as it lit up with the Capitol's symbol. I sucked in a breath and looked away. I did not want to see the faces in the sky. I didn't want to see Xavier and I didn't want to see the tribute who killed him. I grabbed Percy's hand and he squeezed it tightly. We only had each other now. It was just him and me. Xavier was dead. Nico was dead. Everyone who joined us died nearly instantaneously and I didn't want that anymore, and neither did Percy.

We had agreed that we wouldn't allow any other tributes into or group or risk experiencing yet another casualty. My heart couldn't handle that and I still felt the crippling guilt; Xavier's death could've been prevented if I had just gone with Tetro. It was as simple as that.

"Jason. It's on." Percy whispered and I looked up as the Capitol symbol faded and was replaced by Xavier's picture. His white hair was unkempt yet his eyes, which had been dark blue during the picture, sparkled with humor and life. Xavier was gone now. I'd never see those beautiful eyes of his again. Percy was chewing on his lip in order to suppress a sob, but his eyes were still red. Xavier's picture was replaced by Tetro's and I literally hissed my disapproval. I hated that tribute with an intensity that could not be described. At least he died; it would've been an insult to Xavier's soul if that bastard was the victor.

That's when a new picture replaced Tetro's. My heart seemed to stop. I opened my mouth, but only a wisp of air came out. It couldn't be. It wasn't possible. The dogs…they couldn't have. They just couldn't have. Percy put a hand on my shoulder, but my mind was off somewhere else; lost in memory.

_Her eyes were like a kaleidoscope…_

_Her hair was choppy, yet she still looked beautiful…_

_She didn't have make-up on, but she didn't need it. She was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen…_

My voice finally managed to work. "Piper?" I croaked as the image of my former girlfriend disappeared and was replaced by the artificial night sky. "Piper?" Percy's eyes were sympathetic and he gave my hand another squeeze, which I didn't return. She was dead. Piper. Beautiful, sporty Piper was gone. I couldn't handle it. I was already stricken enough when Xavier, Frank, Hazel, Cara, and Nico died, but nothing was compared to the agony that burned my heart like a white-hot knife.

Tears streamed down uncontrollably. I couldn't do it. This was all too much; first Hazel, then Frank, then Cara, then Nico, then Xavier, and finally Piper. Everyone was being taken away from me in all too little time. I heard of the rumor that you could die from a broken heart. If that was the case, then I was already dead on the inside. A shell of my former self. I tucked my legs against my chest and cried myself to sleep.

_I was running. From what, I did not know. All I knew was that I'd die if I didn't run. I was dashing through a dark pine forest. The sky was overcast and it cast a gloomy haze on everything, causing the shadows to dance and form grotesque figures in the grey-white light. I ran even faster, my heart pounding. The dogs barked and snapped at my heels, though I had not remembered them chasing me a moment ago. Their snarling and growling turned into screaming…human screaming. It sounded like Piper. I knew her scream from anywhere. I couldn't resist a quick look over my shoulder and that's when I opened my mouth to let out a gut-wrenching scream, but no words formed. Piper was staggering behind me, the dogs on her tail. _

_ "__Pipes!" I wailed and swerved around without a second's hesitation. My brain was set on one thing and one thing only; Piper. Her name repeated over and over in my head like a tribal chant until it lost its meaning, but I still knew that I had to save my girlfriend, no matter what the odds. As I ran back to her, she seemed to get farther away. The harder I ran, the more she fell behind. I couldn't reach her and the mutts were gaining, snapping and clawing at her heels and the backs of her calves and thighs. _

_She reached out to me with a bloodied hand and I grabbed it, not caring if my hand felt wet and sticky. I pulled her close to me and caught her around the waist, hauling her over one shoulder. For some reason, she thrashed and strained against me. _

_"__You liar!" she spat and I could almost see the look of disgust and rage on her face as she pounded her fists against my back. I have to say, it hurt. Even in a dream. It wasn't a playful punch, a punch that was intended to follow a joke; this was a punch that was meant to injure me. Pipes would try to do that to me unless she had a pretty damn good reason. Ever. I shook the thought out of my head continued sprinting, oblivious to the fact that Piper's struggling became more and more furious. I clung to her wriggling form tightly as the sound of the dogs' thudding paws became louder and louder like the sound of rolling thunder in the distance. _

_"__I hate you!" She screamed. "You never loved me! You're gay; you cheated me with that dumb son of Poseidon, you stupid f*****!" That was what broke me. I dropped her and she landed on her but, scrambling away from me as if she were scrambling away from a person with an infectious disease. "My skin is tainted from touching yours. I am a mere disgrace for even talking to people like you!"_

_"__Piper? Piper it's me. When did you get so…against homosexuals? It's still me. I'm right here." I said in the most soothing way possible, though my voice shook. Her words had stung more than a swarm of bees could have. That's when Piper looked up at me. I expected her usual kaleidoscopic eyes; warm, happy, caring, and full of love. What I saw was far worse than that, an image that would haunt me not only in this nightmare, but also the nightmares to come. Her eyes glittered as dark as an onyx and had the same sheen as a pearl; cold, black, and full of malice. This was not Piper. This was a monster. "Pipes?" I choked. _

_The daughter of Aphrodite got up slowly, her black eyes trained coldly on me the entire time. She smiled, revealing rows of pointed dog teeth. Her voice was basically a snarl, "Thank you for saving me, Jason." _

I woke up with a start. I turned to see Percy, who was sleeping softly beside me. His head was cushioned on one of his arms and his other arm was wrapped around my waist protectively. His eyelid twitched as he slept and there was a little bit of drooling, but I didn't care. He still looked like a resting angel. I brushed a little strand of raven hair out of his face and he mumbled something under his breath that I couldn't make out. I swore it was something along the lines of, "Blue pancakes."

I sighed and snuggled closer to him. The cold night air nipped at any exposed skin and froze my bones even through my jacket, but heat pulsed off of Percy in waves, just enough to melt the slight chill. I wrapped my arms around him and lay my head right in front of his so that our noses were touching in a sort of one-sided Eskimo kiss. Speaking of kisses, it took all my will power not to jump on top of the guy and kiss him until he was drunk, but I had to restrain myself. My hands just itched to run up and down his strong back, but that would have to wait. Despite the fact that the navy blue sky was streaking with lighter blues to signal an oncoming sunrise, I was still dog tired. So I settled into a restless sleep once more.

**(A/N) I would like to conduct another poll. How should one of the other tributes die? I won't tell who, but choose the choice. Warning: this will reduce the story to only having at least three or four chapters left. I will gladly wait every few chapters to kill a tribute, but I'd figured that it would've dragged a bit. Which do you choose?**

**1. Earthquakes**

**2. Tsunamis**

**3. Lightning/super-storm**

**4. Unleash a bunch of monsters. **

**5. None of the above; wait for the story to progress with more Jercy, possible ally meeting, but with the possible chance that it will drag a lot. **


	20. Chapter 20

**(A/N) TIME TO TALLY THE VOTES! YOU ALL CONFUSED ME A LOT BY VOTING FOR TWO THINGS AT ONCE AND I'M JUST LIKE: DAFUQ!? BUT I'LL TALLY ALL OF THE VOTES ANYWAY BECAUSE I'M A NICE PERSON, EVEN IF SOMEONE VOTED TWICE. Just as a refresher:**

**1. Earthquakes**

**2. Tsunamis**

**3. Lightning/super storm**

**4. Unleash a bunch of monsters. **

**5. None of the above; wait for the story to progress with more Jercy, possible ally meeting, but with the possible chance that it will drag a lot.**

**THE VOTES ARE IN AND HERE IS THE TALLY:**

**1 gets ****_TWO _****votes (By 17headlines and heatherfda17)**

**2 gets ****_ONE _****vote (By Guest)**

**3 gets ****_TWO _****votes (By 17headlines and Guest)**

**4 gets ****_ONE _****vote (By Guest #2)**

**5 gets ****_ONE _****vote (By Guest #2)**

**So you know what that means? I have to cast my own vote in order to even up the tie between 1 and 3. My vote goes to….****EARTHQUAKES!**

**I'M ALSO THINKING OF DOING A VOTE EVERY CHAPTER. NOT THIS CHAPTER, BUT ANOTHER TIME.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

**Percy POV**

Jason was screaming in his sleep. I tried to block it out, but it was nearly impossible. I couldn't stand hearing Jason scream like that; just sounds of pure agony and suffering escaping his lips. I pulled him closer to me, whispering words softly into his ear, but he still whimpered. Tears trickled down his cheeks as he squeaked and cried out like a kicked puppy. My heart melted into putty and I tried desperately to comfort him, but to no prevail. I closed my eyes and did my best to try and fall asleep. It took a few hours, but tiredness finally washed over me in a wave and I slipped into its peaceful embrace.

I awoke to a thunderous rumbling sound that reverberated off all the trees. At first I thought that either Jason's stomach or my stomach was rumbling really, really loudly. Then I realized that the ground was vibrating. Jason was already on his feet as the stones and pebbles bounced up and down like exotic dancers and the ground beneath us shook. Jason and I exchanged horrified looks and we snatched up our backpacks as fast as possible.

I opened my mouth to say something, but Jason stared in horror at my feet as a large crack ripped in the earth between my legs. I let out a horrified cry and grabbed Jason's hand as the crevasse widened. A huge gap at least a mile deep but only a few yards wide revealed itself as its borders expanded. We wouldn't survive the fall if God forbid one of us toppled over the side. Lava churned and bubbled below, causing a draft of hot, humid air and fumes to come from the pit.

"Run!" I screamed and the ground began to tremble violently. Trees uprooted and crashed down in a chorus of screaming wood and groaning branches. The deafening roar made my ears pop as we ran along. My vision tilted as huge chunks of the ground fell away into the chasm that was rapidly expanding, eating up everything in its path. Huge chunks of earth violently sprang from the ground like jagged spires, causing a cascade of rock and rubble to rain down on us. Jason turned to me, his blue eyes wide with terror.

"What do we do?" he yelled over the horrible thunderous cracking sounds as the ground ripped apart. Spider-webs of cracks appeared at our feet and the ground began to shift. I ran faster as it began to crumble away. The heat from the lava that churned below was making me sweat buckets and the tremors in the ground were making me nauseous beyond belief. This was worse than any seasickness Hazel could've ever gotten. I grabbed his hand and ran blindly as the ground we were standing on let out a guttural groan and tilted sideways.

Jason leapt onto solid ground, but I wasn't so lucky. I stumbled as the ground slanted at a ninety degree angle. Jason screamed my name and help out his hand, but I couldn't reach him. I clung to the rocks and screwed my eyes shut, but that didn't block out the thundering and roiling of the lava below. After that last episode with the Greek fire and Annabeth, I was freaking tired of fire and heat.

I clawed my way up the side of the earthen wall and saw Jason waving his hands below. He was standing on solid, flat ground. Scrap that, it wasn't solid; fissures were beginning to appear by Jason's feet and my friend scrambled back as a huge chuck toppled into the abyss. The look down was dizzying and my hands, which were coated with sweat, began to slip in the deep gauges I'd made with my fingers. Jason screamed as one hand slipped and I was dangling over the chasm with just one hand. A scene flashed before my eyes. _NO! NOT NOW! THIS IS THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME! _I screamed inside my head, but that didn't prevent memories from replaying inside my head over and over again.

_I looked up at Nico from fifteen feet above. His hand was extended uselessly and his gaze was one of fear and terror. _

Nico's not alive anymore I have to get out of this flashback! _I thought, but no matter how hard I tried, the memory continued just as it had been all those years ago._

_ "__The other side, Nico! We'll see you there. Understand?" I called. I could feel the gravity of Tartarus pulling viciously at my legs, coaxing me into giving up and letting go. I had to pass the message. I couldn't let my friends down. My fingers slipped another inch, but I didn't dare let go of Annabeth's hand in order to give myself another handhold. _

_Nico's eyes widened. His expression was one of shock."But-"_

_ "__Lead them there!" I shouted. "Promise me!"_

_ "__I-I will." _

_I screwed my eyes shut, concentrating on the wild beat of my heart. I would make it. I had Annabeth; we could do this. Then I let go of my tiny ledg_e _and together, holding hands, Annabeth and I fell into endless darkness. The fear engulfed me and the wind whipped my hair as the blackness swarmed my vision and threatened to hide the worst of monsters inside of it. My mind swam. I was going to die. I was going to die… _

"PERCY SNAP OUT OF IT!" Jason's screams snapped me out of it and I realized that my fingers had slipped another inch. If I slipped any further I would hurtle to my death, leaving Jason to have to face the other tributes alone. I began to climb; putting one hand in front of the other as I inched my way to the top. I snuck a peek at Jason, who was scrambling away from the edge as more earth crumbled away. If the chasm widened any further I wouldn't be able to make it.

I found my way to the top and grasped the rim, my palms and fingers bloody and scratched. My nails were chipping and I was sure that the entire nail on my pinky finger was falling off, but I didn't care. That's when the earthen platform I was on let out another rumble and began to descend into the darkness. "Percy!" Jason wailed as the ground gave way under his feet. He scrambled to safer ground, but not the distance between me and the sturdy ground was at least five yards. I would never be able to jump that far.

"Jason! Get out of there! The ground-it isn't safe! Go!" Jason looked up at me, his face stricken cracks appeared, but he didn't move. "Go!" I called again, but Jason didn't budge. He held his head high and his eyes were full of determination.

"No! I'm not leaving you! Ever!" he called back. I grit my teeth and let out a low growl. Jason's stubbornness and his care for me were going to be the end of both of us. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the beating of my heart, which was fast. I thought of calming beaches and warm waters, slowing my heart rate down. My platform sank deeper and deeper into the pit, but all I concentrated on was staying calm and collected.

_Father? If you can still hear me in Tartarus…then thanks. If I don't make it, well, I am proud to be your son. _With that in my mind I leapt. The odds were against me. No human or demigod could possibly make that jump and live to tell the tale. I felt myself falling and I looked up, and to my horror I realized that I'd fallen short. I felt myself begin to fall, and it was slow at first, like when you're at the high point of a roller coaster and you're waiting to drop. That's when a cool ocean breeze ruffled my hair lightly and filled my nose with the smell of sea salt and sand. It wasn't supposed to be possible; the ocean wasn't anywhere near here and the lake by the cornucopia wasn't saltwater. But at that moment I was launched into the sky, against all odds. My hands connected with the edge of the pit and Jason was able to haul me over the side. We were both panting and Jason's eyes sparked like ice.

"How did you do that?" he asked breathlessly. I shook my head. Maybe it was help from my father or just a miracle. I would never know. That's when a blonde blur whipped in front of my eyes and a fist connected with my stomach. I stumbled backwards, wheezing as my lungs searched for air. I gasped as I teetered on the edge and fell, only to grasp the side with my hands. I was in the same position once more. What was happening? That's when a blonde head peered over the side. Jason? Had he really betrayed me like that?

That's when I saw that this blonde hair was curly and long, hanging in the tribute's eyes. I didn't need any other thing to confirm my suspicions. Annabeth's mouth smiled but her cold, steely grey eyes didn't. "Greetings, Percy." She hissed coldly. "This is pretty ironic, isn't it? Just like Tartarus." Her voice was wry. "Only you're the one that's falling." A flashback threatened to creep into my vision, but I blinked it away.

"What have you done with Jason?" I spat, packing as much venom into my tone as humanly possible.

"Oh. I've taken care of him." She snickered. I didn't know what she was talking about; the cannon hadn't sounded. What had she done? My arms were beginning to tire and my fingers, which were already scraped and raw, were beginning to slip. I struggled and my legs flailed in the open air. The gravity pulled on my legs and the heat of the lava warmed my skin to the point that it was nearly painful.

"Help me up." I pleaded. "I'm slipping. Please. What happened to the old Annabeth? I need you to help me." Annabeth's eyes hardened.

"We will speak nothing of the filthy being that I was before I learned that this world is an eat-or-be-eaten place. At least, _I _will speak nothing of it. You'll be too busy burning to a crisp in the lava. A fiery and exciting death." She growled and peeled one of my fingers off of the ledge. "Let's start a countdown from nine." Her face split with a jagged grin. "Nine." She peeled another finer off. "Eight. Seven. Six…"

-Ω-

**Jason POV**

I struggled to stay conscious. The ropes constricted my midsection and cut off my circulation in my hands. The tree I was tied to was pretty solid and I struggled to break free, but to no prevail. Raven watched over me, her black eye hard. She held a long, silver knife to my throat to make sure I didn't do anything funky.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you working for _her_?" I asked her meekly, my voice barely a whisper. My gaze flicked behind me where I saw Annabeth towering over Percy, who was dangling over the edge of the pit once more. I knew that the wicked tribute from District 8 would push Percy off any minute now. I had to save him, but I was too busy being held hostage by a tribute who was supposedly on our side.

"That's none of your business." Raven growled. Her scarred eye regarded me with hatred, as did her regular eye.

"What did we ever do to deserve this?" I hissed.

"You killed Nico." she spat. "You two were allies and you killed him." It took me a moment to realize that when they displayed the faces in the sky it didn't show you how the person died. Annabeth must've gotten her hands on raven and manipulated her into thinking that we had killed him. I shook my head vigorously, but to my disappointment the knife that was being held across my neck cut a thin and shallow line across and blood trickled down.

"Why would we do that?" I growled. I didn't reveal the fact that I was slightly hurt. Was I the kind of guy that people would think would turn on their partners? Should I change my personality? I pushed the thoughts away and concentrated on the task at hand.

"Why _wouldn't_ you do that? You two had a clear advantage over him so you manipulated him into thinking that he was safe. As soon as he let his guard down you attacked him." Raven replied coldly.

"And who told you this? Annabeth? That chick is legally insane. Are you sure that you really want to trust her?" I asked. Raven hesitated and I thought, _Jackpot_, but her gaze hardened once more.

"Annabeth is smart. She knows a lot of things. I have to trust her judgment and she is telling me that you two killed Nico. I have no choice but to believe her." She replied, looking down.

"She's just taking advantage of you. _She's _the one who killed Nico. I saw her blonde hair with my own two eyes. Why do you think she knows about the three of us teaming up? She was stalking us; waiting to isolate Nico so she can shoot him with an arrow." I retorted.

"That's all the more reason to believe that you two killed him; if she was following you she witnessed the killing." Raven told me icily.

"OF COURSE SHE WITNESSED THE KILLING; SHE WAS THE ONE WHO KILLED HIM!" I yelled. My voice was filled with such ferocity that Raven staggered back in surprise.

"Why should I trust you? You just want to save your own skin." She hissed. Her knife was leveled at my throat, but I held her gaze boldly.

"I'm not saying that you should trust me." My voice was quiet. All the earlier ferocity and hostility was gone. "I'm just saying that you should not trust _her._" Raven's face softened and before I could register anything my ropes went slack and slipped down as her knife slashed through them. Then in the blink of an eye, she was gone.

"Three!" I whirled around to see Annabeth plucking Percy's fingers off the ledge. He dangled over the chasm by only three fingers. I knew he couldn't just grab the ledge again with his other hand; he was sore, cut, bruised and tired. He didn't have the strength. "Two!" He was only hanging on with two fingers. I grabbed my sword, which had been kicked away from me when we had been ambushed, and charged.

"One!" I shouted. Annabeth whirled around only for the flat of my sword to smash into her chest and send her plummeting to her death. Her screams echoed through the pit like the screams of a banshee in Tartarus and then were cut short. The cannon sounded. I hauled Percy over the ledge and he threw his arms around me, sobbing into his shoulder.

I could understand why. Nothing was left of their once-powerful and inseparable relationship but bittersweet memories, broken promises, and crushed dreams.


	21. Chapter 21

**(A/N) So I've been reading the reviews and there seems to be a high demand for Leo being the victor and for it to be a choose-who-the-victor-will-be story, but that is not the case. The victor will be the one thing that you will be unable to vote on, that's already been decided by me. So I present to you the next vote: Jercy Breakup or not?**

**The choices are:**

**Jercy stays and continues to be a power couple; the Star-Crossed Lovers.**

**Something happens and Jercy continues, but they become more distant. **

**Jercy breaks up but they continue together in the arena**

**Jercy breaks up and they go their separate ways, but still remain allies.**

**Jercy breaks up and they part; becoming vengeful against the each other. **

**VOTE IN THE REVIEWS TODAY! THIS TIME, NO VOTING TWICE! I MEAN IT! IF YOU VOTE TWICE, I'LL CHOOSE ONLY YOUR FIRST VOTE!**

**(JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THERE IS A LOT OF JERCY IN THIS CHAPTER)**

**Jason POV**

Percy cried in my arms the entire night. I knew that the connection had been strong between Annabeth and Percy, but I couldn't help but be jealous. Percy was my boyfriend now and he was still remembering his ex? I swatted the thoughts away and hated myself for thinking that way. Annabeth had gone insane and then she'd fallen to her death; anyone would grieve.

After a while I found myself crying too. Tears trickled down my cheeks and dripped onto Percy's hair. The son of Poseidon clutched my shirt tightly in his fists and sobbed into my shoulder, which had become damp. I muttered words of encouragement, but I knew that I wasn't doing it for Percy; I was doing it for me. I hated seeing him in tears like this and his hysteria was making me cry, too.

Percy finally calmed down, but he was still clutching my shirt. I took off my jacket and dabbed at his eyes, which were red and puffy, and he gave me a grateful look. The occasional sob made his shoulders shake, but other than that he seemed to cool off. I patted his back encouragingly and he looked up at me with his round, sad green eyes. He was basically begging for a kiss. I pursed my lips and grit my teeth, trying to resist, but nobody could resist those baby seal eyes. Nobody. I leaned down and our lips met. He shivered a little and wrapped his arms around my neck, entangling his fingers in my hair.

I let out a soft moan and gently nudged him against the tree, touching his cheek lightly with my fingertips. It was a slow kiss that wasn't feverish like those make-out sessions in the movies. We listened to the sound of each other's breathing and racing hearts, along with the chirping of birds and the occasional call of a mockingjay up above. Percy fit perfectly in my lap and I laughed around his lips when I realized that, despite him being older than me, I was still mildly taller than him.

I opened an eye a crack to see him giving me a 'What's so funny?' kind of look, but that didn't matter to me. My world at the moment was just me and Percy, kissing alone in the trees. I expected for what had happened last time to happen again, but sadly there was no Xavier to make a twig snap and get all embarrassed that he saw us kissing. My heart sank as grief tried to get ahold of it, but the fire that Percy created in my heart kept it at bay.

"Stop, stop." I breathed and finally managed to pull away. "I can't breathe." Percy chuckled at this and pressed his forehead against mine. He was breathing hard, but his green eyes twinkled with delight. He leaned in and our lips brushed, but before he could apply some pressure, I turned my head to the side and he caught my cheek. Percy frowned and I went closer. He tilted his head up to make our lips meet, but I pulled away, teasing.

Percy pursed his lips, but his eyes sparkled with humor. "Oh I see. That's how you want it to be." He bowled me over and I let a small squeak escape my lips. I pushed Percy off and leapt to my feet, but he was already on top of me. I managed to turn over so that I was on my stomach and he couldn't get to me, but he just kissed right behind my ear. I shivered and he trailed kisses down my neck, applying more pressure the farther down he went. When he reached the point where my neck met my shoulder, the part where Reyna liked to call my 'soft spot', he applied just the right amount of pressure. I gasped and arched my neck and he smiled against my skin.

He continued down and ended right below my shoulder. My heart pumped with a newfound ferocity and my breath was quick and shallow. I flipped onto my back and kissed the son of Poseidon with every bit of love I had for him. He responded with just as much force and crushed me in a tight hug.

"Wow. This is getting to the point where it's basically watered-down porn." A voice made us jump. A certain Latino elf walked out, clapping slowly. His brown eyes sparkled mischievously and his curly hair was a mess of brown locks. His impish grin hadn't wavered the least bit and his expression was that of amusement and hilarity.  
"I…uh…" I stuttered and tore away from Percy, who dusted himself off self-consciously as if he were getting rid of all the Jason cooties that he may have contracted. What would Leo think when he realized that I was bi? The son of Hephaestus really didn't seem to mind; he was too busy poking fun at us in a rather joking manner.

"Damn I thought you'd start stripping. It was sure getting heated." He fanned himself melodramatically. "Get a room for the gods' sakes."

"Leo!" I hissed, my cheeks flaming a color usually reserved for tomatoes. I turned to Percy and asked rather exasperatedly, "Why do people keep walking in on us?" The son of Poseidon shrugged, but he was smiling all the same. I guess Leo was going to join the group of complete and utter misfits.

"So what brought you here?" Percy asked.

"The sound of your slurping as your tongues clashed like two armies."

"_Leo_."

"Ugh, fine. You two have no sense of humor whatsoever. I came here to see the source of the shaking and because I heard the sound of the cannon. Who died?" Leo asked, adjusting the pair of goggled that had found his way to the top of his head since we last saw him. Percy's lower lip quivered, but he grit his teeth as his eyes became misty. He looked away.

"Annabeth." I replied in the lowest voice I could muster, not wanting to make Percy crack. Leo seemed to understand and his face became serious. He plopped down next to us and began to share his story.

"I've been a loner for most of the Games. Setting traps, finding food. That sort of stuff. Heck, I even caught Tetro in one once but the guy was so brutish he managed to find a way out against all odds. The rest are either un-triggered or have only caught animals and mutts; such as a large chunk of the dog pack that was making its way towards the cornucopia. I hid in the trees when the Capitol sent those mutations that looked like the other tributes. If you didn't look them in the eye then you were good. They can't climb, but they can stand on two legs. One was barking at me, but the rest seemed to ignore it; as if I were too scrawny to be of any sustenance. Thank God for my skinniness or I would be dead." Leo told us. "Of course the earthquake didn't affect me; I was on the other side of the arena when it happened."

We shared our story and he whistled when we shared our near-death experiences, though the one that seemed to bother him most was when I'd nearly committed suicide. He gave me an odd look as Percy explained it, though he didn't say anything. His expressions changed throughout the story; from amusement to anguish to relief to horror and back again. I had to admit; despite his ADHD Leo was still a really good listener, though he began to fiddle with some leaves and twigs halfway through the story.

"…and now we have run into you." Percy finished. Leo raised his eyebrows and scrutinized the little robotic mouse that he had made with twigs, leaves, dirt, and some spare gears, wires, and pistons that he had in his backpack. "So I guess you're a part of the Gang of Misfits now? The club that always has three people and then is reduced to two all the time?"

Leo's eyes widened at this, but Percy just elbowed him in the ribs to show that it was a joke. Well, it wasn't really a joke but we wanted to keep it as mild as possible. That's when Leo said, "No. I have to go soon; I can't stay with you guys."

"What?" I asked, my voice full of disbelief. Leo had rejected us twice now, even after all that had happened in the Games. "Why not?" Leo bit his lip and chewed on it for a few moments. He sighed.

"I just think I'd have a better chance of surviving on my own. One tribute attracts less attention than three and I don't want to slow you all down with all the traps I'm going to set. It was just a good and rather uplifting coincidence that I ran into you two. But I have to get going now." Leo stood up with all intentions to leave when I bundled him in a bear hug. Percy joined in and we just stood there for a while, listening to the sound of crickets chirping in the grass and the birds' tittering that was coming to an end as the moon rose up into the sky.

"Stay safe." I said quietly and Leo nodded, saluting us as he disappeared into the forest. The sound of his footsteps receded until nothing was left of him besides his robotic mouse.


	22. Chapter 22

**(A/N) DIDN'T I SAY THIS IN THE LAST CHAPTER? YOU CANNOT CHOOSE WHO WINS NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU BEG *AHEM* PRINCESSENCHLADA *AHEM*. I'M STILL DECIDING; IT DEPENDS ON THE FLOW OF THE STORY. SO! LET'S TALLY THE VOTES! JUST A REMINDER:**

**1. Jercy stays and continues to be a power couple; the Star-Crossed Lovers.**

**2. Something happens and Jercy continues, but they become more distant. **

**3. Jercy breaks up but they continue together in the arena**

**4. Jercy breaks up and they go their separate ways, but still remain allies.**

**5. Jercy breaks up and they part; becoming vengeful against the each other.**

**AND THE VOTES ARE…**

**1 with ****_ONE_**** vote! (Guest)**

**2 with ****_ONE _****vote! (heatherfda17)**

**3 with ****_ONE _****vote! (chocolatethunder)**

**4 with ****_TWO _****votes! (17headlines and Guest #2)**

**5 with ****_ONE _****vote (PrincessEnchilada)**

**I guess it's settled then. No more Jercy and they go their separate ways whilst still remaining allies. This chapter will be full of feels now that you voted on that, though I would've preferred number two along with heatherfda17. But I can't vote unless it's for a tiebreaker, so 4 it is. **

**There's just one thing. Some people, such as Guest #3, made it sound as if Jercy was a horrible thing. I know that most people don't ship Jercy and that's why it was voted that they break up and part, but Guest said it as if being gay is wrong. It's not wrong; people are born like that. It isn't a sin to be gay. It isn't. Homophobes do not understand that people who are gay can't change who they are. They can't make themselves straight no matter how hard they try. Authors like Cassandra Clare, Alex London, and Rick made homosexual characters (Alec, Syd, and Nico) to show that gays are normal people. They aren't demons from hell sent to destroy us or any of that bullshit. If you hate on me, I don't care. Being gay is just a natural occurrence, no matter how much some people say it isn't. **

**3****rd**** Person POV**

**(Note: this takes 3****rd**** person POV place during the last chapter before Leo came)**

"We need more action. More drama. Even with this make-out session; it's what the audience expects. Any ideas, Walter?" Polybotes boomed as he regarded the screen in front of him, which was broadcasting a heated make-out session between Percy and Jason. Walter, the Giant's telekine butler, waddled over on his seal legs and presented the anti-Poseidon with a cup of tea. Polybotes downed it in one sip and flicked it away, where it shattered on the ground into a million little shards.

"Maybe you should stop messing with Perseus' hormones." Walter suggested as he cleaned the fragments up and discarded them in the nearby trash bin. "Of course Jason, being bisexual, would still be in love. If Percy stops feeling attracted to Jason while the son of Jupiter is still smitten for him, it will create this whole drama. It's just an idea, sir. Your ideas are always the best."

Polybotes stopped and thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "I've got it! I should stop messing with Perseus' hormones! Jason, being bisexual, would still be in love! If Percy stops feeling attracted to Jason while the son of Jupiter is still smitten for him, it will create this whole drama!" Polybotes bellowed. Walter nodded vigorously.

"Yes, sir. That is a wonderful idea." The telekine replied, though it had been his idea first. He didn't dare object, though. A crooked grin spread across Polybotes' face.

"Operation anti-Jercy now in motion." He snickered and pressed the button that would stop Percy's tracking device from producing hormones.

-Ω-

**Percy POV**

I looked up at the sky, which was streaked with oranges, yellows, and reds. Day was impending and Jason and I ought to get moving, but I couldn't stop thinking about Annabeth. My emotions were rather conflicted since the talk with Leo. I'd been kissing Jason, but the kiss didn't feel…real, nor had it been exhilarating like last time. It felt almost wrong in a sense. Now whenever Jason kissed my forehead or cheek I didn't feel that special zing. I looked at Jason and saw a brother, not a boyfriend.

I was no longer attracted to Jason like I had been before. I had no idea how one moment I could be gay and the next moment I'd be straight, but I had to break it to Jason. I just couldn't live with the burden that he thought that I loved him back. I do, it's just in a brotherly way. If he died thinking that I still loved him, that we were still a thing, then I wouldn't be able to cope with myself. Jason reached out to hold my hand, but I pulled it away, maybe a little too quickly. Jason's look of hurt was evident.

"Percy? Is there something wrong? I know you're probably thinking about Annabeth and if you want me to leave you to your own thoughts then that's fine. I'm just worried, that's all. Please tell me." I looked up at him and saw that his eyes were full of affection. No…they were overflowing with it. But it was one sided-affection that I just couldn't return. There was a hollow hole in my heart, a hole that loving Jason could not fill. I wasn't gay. I remember of Annabeth and my heart warmed at the thought of her happy grey eyes and beautiful smile. I was still in love with her, even if she had gone insane and was now living a life in Elysium.

I took a deep breath and a worried look formed on Jason's face. I wouldn't be able to look him in the eyes, so I studied the ground. What I was going to do would break his heart. It was going to rip it out and tear it into little pieces then stomp them into the ground. I wouldn't be able to see the look on his face. I wouldn't be able to look at the tears that would drip down his cheeks. If I saw that the guilt would crush me even though it was inevitable.

"Jason," I began and I could feel the son of Jupiter's eyes boring into me, "I can't do this anymore."

"What do you mean?" Jason's voice was filled with confusion, but I could also pick out the anxiety. He was scared of what was to come and he was probably preparing himself, but I knew he would break down. I saw the way he stole loving glances at me. I was his world. I was his everything. And now I was abandoning him as if he were just something that entertained me for a few moments and then bored me.

"I mean I can't do _us _anymore. As a couple." I replied and bit my lip, listening for his reply.

"Why not?" I couldn't see his face but I heard the waver in his voice. He was starting to cry. I didn't dare lift my eyes, but I could clearly see the shock and horror on his face in my head. I thought of my next words very carefully, but it was hard. I was already hurting him. Why not just voice how I actually feel?

"It's hard to explain but…I just can't, Jason." I sighed.

"So you're breaking up with me." The son of Jupiter's voice was flat, but I could hear his broken heart; I could hear the cracks and fissures opening up in it as I remorselessly tore his world apart. "You said you loved me. You said it. So those were all lies I'm guessing?" His voice cracked a little.

My heart sank like a deflated balloon. His voice was full of so much hurt and betrayal it was making me feel like a jerk. Which I was. I was an awful person for doing this to him. I couldn't stand myself. "We can still be blood brothers or something like that. I just don't love you in _that way _anymore." I finally gave in and looked up and the sight made me want to look back down again. Tears streaked Jason's face and his eyes were red. Another tear made its way down and splattered onto his shirt. I wanted to comfort him, but how could I comfort him when I was the one making him feel this way?

"Am I just not good enough?" Jason asked quietly, in a small voice that made my chest tighten.

"No, Jason, it's just that-"

"I tried. I tried my best to win you over, but sometimes my best isn't good enough. And to think for a few days that it actually worked…" Jason laughed a little at the end, but it was without humor. "You were just stringing me around, weren't you? Keeping me on a leash just in case you needed some love from time to time."

"Jason! I would never do that."

"Then what's this, huh?" he waved around. "Why are you doing this to me? What did I ever do to deserve this? You loved me. I know you loved me. Are you doing this to protect me? To prepare me if you die? It's not working, Perce." He stood up, his eyes glassy with tears.

"Jason please. We can still be allies. It's just not going to work out." I pleaded, trying to shove down the tears and the hurt, but it wasn't working. I stood up and tried to put a hand on his shoulder, but he jerked away with a hiss as if I were some sort of disease he would catch if I got too close. I knew I deserved this. I knew I deserved this reaction, but it didn't make it any less upsetting. Jason couldn't just be understanding and that would be that?

"I still love you. You can't change that. I will always love you. Forever and ever, even if you'll never love me back. Whenever I close my eyes I see you. I dream of you. Of your kisses. Of your hands. You obviously don't love me back." He spat and grabbed his backpack, swinging it over one shoulder.

"Jason. You're still my ally. My partner. My best friend." I cried. My hands were clasped in a begging gesture, but his eyes were no longer misty but rather steely and cold. I thought of our last fight, how the moment Jason left he tried to kill himself. I couldn't let that happen again. I needed to get him to stay. I needed him to live.

"But I want to be more than that. And I can't cope with being around you if I'm just going to be turned away over and over again." He growled.

"What are you saying?" I demanded.

"What do you think I'm saying? I'm leaving. Out of here. We are no longer partners in these Games. We may still be allies, but being your partner means I have to follow you around like a lovesick puppy dog when all I'm going to receive in return is rejection." Jason snarled. Anger welled up inside of me. Why couldn't he just understand? Why couldn't he just get over the fact that I would never love him?

"Fine! Be like that, then. See if I care!" I yelled, balling my fists.

"See you in the next life, Jackson!" he spat and stormed off. His blonde hair disappeared in the copse of trees, gone forever. I sunk to the ground, covering my face with my hands. The only thing I could think was, _What have I done? _


	23. Chapter 23

**(A/N) I really don't want this story to end, but it has to end eventually. I was trying to drag things out, but hey nothing lasts forever. This is officially the third-to-last chapter. It pains me even more to say that there will be no votes anymore. Be warned: major feels this chapter and the chapters to come. Please excuse me if this chapter is too short. **

**Disclaimer: Am I an ingenious and very awesome middle-aged man named Rick? No, so that means I don't own any of this. **

**Jason POV**

Here are tips to getting over a bad breakup: sit down, try not to cry, cry a lot. I was crying so hard and for so long I thought my eyes would permanently stain red. I bet Percy was just lounging around, minding his own business and feeling satisfied that another one of his problems, which happened to be me, was out of the way. Just thinking about that only made me cry even harder.

My heart basically said "F**k it" and self-destructed. I didn't know whether I was capable of picking up the pieces. I didn't want to love anyone anymore; I just wanted Percy to not be such an asshole. Why would he do this to me? Why would he tear me apart without any guilt whatsoever? I looked around and hoped that no one was around to see me like this, but a part of me was wishing that Percy would emerge from the trees smiling with outstretched, welcoming arms. That was not the case.

I took out my sword and made several shallow cuts up and down my arm. I focused on the pain, the only thing that kept me in reality. I couldn't get caught up in my fantasies like most people dealing with breakups did, because that would lead to even deeper depression. The pain, in a way, felt good. It reminded me that I was still anchored in actuality and not just dreaming, though my heart screamed for it to be just a dream, and I'd wake up snuggled in the crook of Percy's arm. This was just a nightmare. A horrible, horrible nightmare.

But the sting of the open wounds told me otherwise. I was not dreaming. This was the truth. It may not be a good truth, but it was what it was. I'd had a problem with self-harm ever since I first became praetor back at Camp Jupiter. The weight of responsibility would crush me and I'd cut myself to get away from things; to help me concentrate on the fact that life and leadership weren't just walks in the park. Reyna had been the only one who knew. She found out when she walked into my quarters to remind me of a senate meeting and found my arm oozing blood that dripped down and pooled on the floor.

I used to cut deeper; see how much blood I could lose before I became dizzy. Then I'd quickly take ambrosia to heal it all up again. The cutting was lesser now, but still self-harm all the same. Who knew that the powerful, heroic son of Jupiter was suicidal? No one. I had been under good cover with my image; nobody would suspect a successful demigod and son of the god of gods to cut themselves.

That's when Percy found out. I'd nearly killed myself, which I couldn't grasp even now. I'd never had any intention of killing myself until then; I mostly stuck to the forearm and bicep to do the cutting, but I never went anywhere near my wrists. That was the first time since the Giant prison that I'd wanted to kill myself so badly.

I cut my other arm, making sure that the cuts were shallow and would be able to heal themselves quickly without ambrosia and simply closed my eyes, leaned against a tree, and felt the blood drip down my arm steadily. They stung and burned like fire, but that's what I liked about it. Then there was a crunch of leaves and I looked up to see Leo, a shocked look on his face.

"Jason." His voice wavered and he ran over to me, kneeling at my side. He pulled a square of ambrosia from his backpack and held it out.

"No. It feels good. I can't explain, it just does." I sighed and refused the godly food.

"You, sir, are suicidal. And you're eating this. Now."

I ignored him and immediately asked the first question that popped into my head, "How did you get here?" Leo's brow furrowed.

"I heard it all. The breakup. Everything. By the way, Percy is a douchebag; you're too good for him. Ever since I heard the story of how you nearly slit your wrists, I needed to make sure that you wouldn't kill yourself. It turns out my doubts were true. Now eat." He forced the square into my mouth and I grimaced as it rushed down my throat and healed all of the wounds. Leo looked up at me and scowled. "Why?" he asked, his voice quivering, "Tell me why. I need to know why you're doing this to yourself so I can help." His eyes became misty. I looked down and shrugged. "You don't know?" Leo's tone was hard.

"It helps me take my mind off of Percy, okay?" I snapped. "If I concentrate on the pain I can't think of him. Of his eyes. Of his smile. Of his laugh. Of his…lips. I can't, Leo, I just can't!" I was hysterical now, crying into my palms as my body was racked with sobs. "And now look at me. Reduced to a pathetic, sniveling…" I dissolved into tears once more. Leo wrapped his arms around me and waited patiently as I cried into his shirt.

"Jace, listen." I looked up at him and his expression softened. I probably looked like a puppy who was a victim of abuse. "You're not pathetic. It's okay to cry. Even brutish blonde like you have to cry when they need to let it all out." I laughed a little at that, grateful for Leo's humor. Then my life fell apart in an instant.

I could only register Raven's black hair as a knife went flying at my face. Time seemed to slow down as the dagger spiraled in the air, its silver blade glinting in the light of the artificial sun. Before I could even stop him, Leo leapt in front of it; shielding my body with his own. The knife plunged deep into his chest, right below the heart. A fatal wound. "LEO!" I screamed as the son of Hephaestus crumbled.

My friendship with Leo flashed before my eyes; the first time we met on that bus oh so long ago, riding Festus around on our first quest together, playing pranks and jokes back at camp, helping with the construction of the Argo II, devising our plan to converse peacefully with the Romans as we sailed to Camp Jupiter, helping to find the House of Hades when Annabeth and Percy were gone, all those days that we shared our suffering together in the Great Giant Prison, and finally now, when he was dying in my arms.

I hugged him close and his blood soaked my shirt. His breathing was shallow and ragged. I slowly removed the knife and he winced and yelped, grabbing onto my shirt to lessen the pain. I tossed the knife far away and realized that this was almost exactly how Nico died. I was now in Percy's shoes, and it wasn't a good feeling. He looked up at me and his brown eyes were full of trust. He trusted me with his life, he trusted me to stay with him to the end.

My tears dripped down onto his cheeks and he reached up with a shaky hand to wipe the mist from my eyes, though it only returned moments later. "At least I get to be with my Sunshine at last." He whispered. He sounded almost…excited and willing, which was all I needed to know that I shouldn't get the ambrosia. "Alright Thantos, let's get this over with." With that, he closed his eyes. They remained closed as the sound of the cannon filled my ears with its horrible low rumble.


	24. Chapter 24

**(A/N) Sorry about the long wait, but it was difficult to write the VERY LAST TWO CHAPTERS OF THE STORY AND THE EPILOGUE. I decided to publish them all at once because they would just end in a cliffhanger and that would just upset you. It's been such a great experience to write for you and I'm glad that you are one of my fans. This has been one of the best things ever; thinking about plotlines and events that would spark your interest and I especially loved the "choose-what-happens" parts. Through the good and bad, the happy and sad, and the catastrophically feels-scarring parts, I give you the last two chapters (three is you count the Epilogue) of Fallen. The Fourth chapter is just a shout-out and answers to all of the reviews, but you should still check it out. **

**Disclaimer: I still do not own PJO**

**Percy POV**

I've been stabbed, scarred, punched, beaten, scalded, slashed, teased, and thrown into Tartarus, but nothing could hurt more than losing Jason. The guilt washed over me in a merciless wave of remorse and self-hatred. If I did that to make me happy, then why did I feel so empty inside? I was a jerk. A crappy sonofabitch that tore someone's heart in two. I was groping around, thinking about all the horrible mistakes I'd made, when the cannon sounded.

_He's killed himself. He's slit his wrists and I wasn't there to stop him. _I thought hopelessly. I ran the way Jason had disappeared, my backpack banging against my back to the point where it was painful. I knew he was dead. I was positive. Even more guilt seemed into my heart and I realized that this guilt was going to be permanent; the guilt of knowing that you were the cause that someone had killed themselves. I would always hate myself for that.

Silent tears streaked down my face as I ran, the braches and thorns scraping my skin and leaving shallow cuts that bled steadily. I just needed to find his body. I needed to find it so that I could mourn; cry over his lifeless, unmoving form until my tear ducts burst or Raven came and stabbed me in the back. I wouldn't care. All I would care about was the fact that I was the one who killed him. My hatred and selfishness had made him kill himself.

I thought of his eyes, which were once so happy and warm, that would be lifeless and glassy. His skin would be cold and his chest wouldn't rise and fall. He wouldn't sit up and punch my arm, saying "Just kidding! I got you good!" He would stay dead, because nobody came back to life in this cruel world. The thought of him made me cry even harder and I stumbled, but I continued on. I had to get to him. I wouldn't let his body get eaten by mutts or other animals. I would stay by his side. He wouldn't die alone.

That's when I saw it. Jason, his head bent and tears streaming down his face as sobs racked his body, was leaning over the still form of a scrawny boy. His curly hair was matted with dirt and mud and his pointed features were slack. His eyes were closed and his skin was pale, along with the fact that blood soaked the front of his shirt. Leo. I nearly sighed with relief that Jason wasn't the one who was killed, but then I hated myself for thinking that. I walked over and wrapped my arms around Jason, who didn't seem to mind.

A random stranger could've hugged him and he would've still snuggled into their chest. He sniffled and curled up in my arms, burying his face into my neck. He leaned up to kiss me, but then thought better of it. We were still just friends and that's how it would remain, no matter what one-sided love may occur. His lip quivered, making the little white scar on his lip stand out a little. I cradled him for a while, just listening to the rustling of foliage overheat as the slight wind ruffled the trees' branches. That's when we heard it, the sound of dry leaves crackling. The person, or thing, that was approaching made no effort to be stealthy and the two of us scrambled to our feet, drawing our swords.

Raven emerged into the clearing, scanning the pitiful scene with a critical gaze. A loathing that was so powerful it burned ignited inside my chest and I gripped the sword handle so tightly my knuckles turned white. Jason looked even angrier. His blue eyes blazed with a hatred that I'd only ever seen when he was staring Gaea in the face. His teeth were grit bared and bared like a wolf. He hissed in disgust, which was an obvious warning; a subtle warning like the rattles on a snake's tail and the flashing colors of deadly reptiles. Raven's expression was smug and her intelligent eyes glittered like black stars. Her trademark stringy hair hung in her face and a long Stygian iron hunting knife was held loosely in one hand. It was crusted with dried blood. Leo's blood, which only fueled my anger even more.

Her posture was relaxed, but as she stalked over to us I saw the tension in her shoulders that was as obvious as a cat waiting to spring. She regarded us with mild interest, as if she were a panther scrutinizing its potential prey. I would not go down easily; not without a vicious and powerful fight to the death. I glanced at Jason, who was readying himself for battle; a coiled snake ready to strike. I looked at him and immediately remembered my Styx promise; I would protect him with my life. At that moment I knew I would fight long and hard alongside him like all those years ago when Gaea's armies overcame us. I would fight and fight and if I collapsed I would get right back up and continue to fight for everything I'd ever lost.

For Hazel and Frank. For Piper and Annabeth and Cara and Xavier. For Leo and even Tetro who all perished during these horrible Games. For all of those who died or are imprisoned at Camp Half-Blood and Jupiter. For all of the gods in Tartarus. For Chiron. For Reyna. For Sally and Paul, the two mortals I couldn't have loved more in the entire world. For Rachel, Ella, Tyson, and Blackjack. For the Amazons. For Thalia and the Hunters.

For Jason.

I would fight until the last breath left me and Thantos came to take me away. I would not give up. Not now, not ever and if my left ended, so be it. I would go down fighting for Jason and for all of the others. I could almost feel them at our sides, lending us their strength and their power. Lending us their hope.

I raised my sword and charged.

Raven sprang with inhuman ability and our weapons met. The sound of metal ringing against metal echoed throughout the forest. Jason stood by my side, slashing with violent ferocity. The determination that blazed in his eyes pumped even more adrenaline into my veins. Raven was godly. She kept both of us at bay with impossibly quick dodges and amazing blows that nearly made me fumble my sword. She slashed again and I tried to dodge, but I was too slow and the blade caught my arm. A huge gash tore across the skin and blood flowed forth like water exploding from a cracked dam.

I cried out in pain and stumbled to the ground. I dared to look at it and I nearly passed out; the gash was ugly and jagged and it cut deep. I saw the white glimmer of my triceps beneath the bleeding flesh. I couldn't grip my sword without a hellish agony racing up and down my arm. I needed to get into the ambrosia or else I would be useless; a burden to Jason, who was still engaged in a deadly dance with Raven. But the backpack was behind Raven and I couldn't crawl around them. I needed to get back in the fight, but I realized that if I did I would just wind up getting myself killed.

That's when I peered through the trees and saw the glimmer of the lake that was nearby the cornucopia. I felt the power of the water surge through my veins. The tang on the air made my senses tingle and I realized that, by cutting the huge gash in my arm, Raven had gauged out the tracking device. It had disabled my powers, but not anymore.

"Jason!" I screamed and Jason was only able to run to me as a huge wave surged through the treetops, engulfing anything in its sight. Trees uprooted and the earth swirled into the waters mass that plunged towards us at impossible speeds. The rumble and crash of the waves rang in my ears as the mass of water engulfed us. I was only barely able to keep the bubble of air around us as the wave swept Raven away and devastated the arena.


	25. Chapter 25

**(A/N) I hope I satisfied you guys, but here is (sadly) the last chapter! It's going to be shorter than the other chapters, though.**

***breaks down into tears and storms off***

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

**Jason POV**

We waited one minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

The cannon sounded.

After a while the water retreated and I was left clinging to Percy, my eyes screwed shut tightly. The son of Poseidon was drained. His face was pale and his eyes were sunken. He was breathing shallowly, but he held me tightly in his arms. When we finally broke apart and regarded each other, I realized that this was it. This was the final battle. Only one of us would make it out of here alive and even if Percy managed to gain strength and summon another huge wave to destroy the arena walls, we'd still be overcome by the monsters that were waiting on the other side.

Percy's green eyes were full of pain and sadness as he looked at me. My sword was limp at my side. I wouldn't fight him even if he was weak and disarmed. That would be a disgrace; killing him would mean I didn't care, that I was too caught up in the thought of winning to think of him. I couldn't do it; I still loved him, even if he didn't love me back.

The Capitol used us like puppets; something to entertain them. I didn't want to succumb to their demands. I would fight if I had to, with Percy at my side. I would tear down the Capitol brick by brick with my bare hands and kill all of its inhabitants slowly, with Polybotes at the top of my list. He would pay dearly for the torture he inflicted upon us and he will suffer like no other being. No one will be spared and I will free the camps and the gods if it was the last thing I did. But as I looked at reality, I knew that would never happen. Percy and I were just two people and we couldn't defeat Gaea even with the entirety of Greek and Roman gods and demigods at our sides.

"Do it." Percy whispered. His head was bent low and tears dripped down his face. "Please." I was shocked. Why would Percy want me to kill him? Even if we had been through a lot, we'd been through it together. But I knew that if we didn't fight the Capitol would make us fight, no matter how against it we were.

I started at the beginning, when I first met the raven-haired demigod. We'd been retrieving his from Camp Jupiter and had just gotten away from an army of angry Romans. We competed to see who the best Big Three Boy was, and we nearly fought to the death in Kansas. We created a storm together at Fort Sumter and fought of countless monsters side-by-side. We survived the Nymphaeum with the help of Piper and managed to free the naiads from their waterless prison. We defeated the twins together and did the best we could to fight off Gaea before we were overcome. We suffered through a month of torture that felt like years and watched each other's backs in the Games. I had the chance to love him and kiss him, a chance that I took advantage of and had the best few days of my life. All of that lead up to now.

Then I looked at Percy. The guy looked like he was about to shatter into a million pieces. His eyes were huge and full of suffering and sadness and I could tell he was struggling to stay sane; a battle amidst his own mind that he was bound to lose. He collapsed onto his knees and clasped his hands into a begging gesture. "Please!" His voice cracked. I raised my sword and Percy watched me with calm, unafraid eyes; like a sheep before the butcher. He pressed his forehead against the tip and a little trickle of blood began to seep down. He wasn't afraid to die; he wanted to die. I could see the desperation in his eyes.

My sword clattered to the ground and Percy looked up at me, his lower lip quivering. I knelt beside him and he hugged me tightly. "I can't do it." I murmured into his ear. "I can't."

"That's okay." The tribute form District 4 replied sadly. He pulled away and studied my face with those brilliant green eyes of his, but I was surprised at how pained they looked. I knew that I probably looked the same way; we were going to have to fight to the death. If we didn't, the Capitol would either force us to by triggering something in my tracking device or they would send out mutts and make us suffer even further. Percy leaned down and our lips brushed, but only for a moment. His breath was hot on my face and his eyelashes fluttered against my cheek. "I love you." He murmured and pulled away, leaving me in a state of awe.

"I love you too." I managed. Why had he kissed me, even if it was only for a moment? I thought he'd said it was over. By doing that had he officially started loving me again? Percy slowly rose to his feet and walked over to where my sword had clattered to the ground. The Celestial bronze gleamed in the midday sun, like a tiny star, but the sun was being blocked out by thick clusters of grey clouds, signaling that a storm was brewing. He picked the sword up and studied it for a moment, running his fingers across the blade gently. I thought it was a little strange, but I didn't point that out.

Percy turned to me as if he were going to hand it over, but instead he flashed me his last brilliant smile that was full of love, caring, and warmth. I ran to him, but everything seemed to be going in slow motion. By the time I reached him he had already plunged the blade deep into his chest. I crumbled to my knees and screamed at the top of my lungs as lightning flashed overhead.

-Ω-

**3****rd**** Person POV**

The tribute was acting hysterical. As the monsters helped dragged him out of the arena on a stretcher he kept screaming, thrashing, and crying. He lashed out at them with fingernails that sunk deep into their flesh. They merely growled in annoyance and were forced to tie him down as he continued to screech frantically at the top of his lungs. He kept screaming that he had to stay with Percy, the fallen tribute. His eyes were wild with fear and suffering and his pupils were but little dots in his irises.

The monsters pitied him but also found him rather irritating as his screaming blasted their eardrums to pieces. He was squirming and writhing in his ropes and no amount of soothing could get him to still. Finally a telekine was forced to sedate him and the tribute went limp, but his forced sleep was still fitful. He kept crying out as his eyelids fluttered and scrunched as if he were trying to fight it off. The telekine patted the poor son of Jupiter's arm and made a _tsk _sound.

"Poor kid." It said gruffly and the procession continued on. They paraded to the tribute house, where they fixed the tribute up and fed him as much squares of ambrosia as they dared. Even so, they knew that ambrosia could not heal a shattered mind or a broken heart. The boy had went through so much and now he'd just lost everything, even if he did just acquire a handsome amount of riches and a load of respect.

A girl with hair that was dyed partly strawberry blonde and partly platinum blonde had joined the monsters, along with her boyfriend, in the tribute house. She watched anxiously from the side as the medics, who were two dracaene, crowded him and checked for vitals. The sedative had been powerful and the son of Jupiter lay silent for days on end. Some even whispered that he wouldn't wake up, partially because the knock-out medicine was too strong and partially because he simply had lost the will to live.

When the medics had gone, the girl knelt down beside the tribute's cot. His wrists were bound to the sides just in case he woke up in panic. The girl disapproved of this and reached out to untie the bonds, but her boyfriend stopped her. He shook his head, his black eyes gleaming. His black hair was neatly brushed and he wore a black leather jacket over a white tee and jeans.

"Maria." His voice held a hint of warning to it as she ignored him and began to untie the bonds with swift fingers.

"I know what I'm doing. Gods, Lucifer; you have to lighten up. The poor guy is clearly suffering." The girl, Maria, insisted.

"But what will he do when he wakes up in hysteria? He will be insane. I'm sure of that." Lucifer scoffed and brushed a loose strand of hair out of his face. His lips were pursed into a thin line and his expression was indifferent.

"Don't be such a downer. Jason is strong. If anyone can fight of insanity, it's him." She confirmed, her voice steady and strong. He stormy blue eyes bore a hole through her boyfriend critically. She had no idea how he could be so heartless at times. Lucifer snorted at this, but didn't argue. That's when Jason began to stir. His head shot up and he let out a guttural scream, tears streaming down his cheeks as he covered his face with his hands. Maria darted over to comfort him despite the low growl Lucifer made in his throat as the tribute awoke.

"Shh. It's okay. You're safe. You won." The daughter of Ares soothed, though it was a wrong choice of words. As soon as the thought of winning entered his unstable mind, Jason only wailed louder. Lucifer shot Maria a withering look and covered his ears.

"Just make him shut up." At this, Jason turned to the son of Thantos and blinked once. His lower lip quivered as he fought back more tears, which only made his mind crack even further.

"It's okay to cry." Maria assured him and the son of Jupiter broke down once more. She didn't wrap her arms around him, but she did massage his hand with her thumbs and allowed him to lean against her. She was surprised at how weak, frail, and thin he was. Jason looked up at her with round, sad blue eyes and made a whimpering sound that melted her heart. She whispered words of encouragement as he melted against her and slipped into unconsciousness once more. Lucifer came over and awkwardly patted the sleeping son of Jupiter's shoulder. Maria lay him back down on the cot and tucked him in.

"He'll be okay." Lucifer said as they watched Jason's finally peaceful sleeping. His nostrils flared a little as he snored softly and mumbled gibberish under his breath. "He'll be scarred, yes, but insane? Not likely. You are right. He is strong. The strongest demigod I've ever known." Sergeant Major Lucifer saluted to Jason and slipped away like a shadow.


	26. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**3****rd**** Person POV**

Jason watched as the waves roiled and crashed below, the rocky cliff rising like a barrier against the violent sea. The son of Jupiter faced the rocky bottom with calm certainty in his blue eyes, holding a small blue box. He was not afraid. In every splash of salty water, in every frothy wave that slammed against the cliff he only saw his fallen colleague. His friend. His blood brother.

He took a deep breath and listened. He could almost hear his voice on the wind. In the rustle of the leaves as the ocean gusts battered the branches of the trees. He heard Percy's voice, a low whisper, in the sloshing of the waves below and in the crow of seagulls that soared on the updraft that the wind was creating. He heard Percy in the song of mockingjays that chirped and tittered as they fluttered around on nimble wings.

Jason saw Percy's eyes in the blue-green, foamy water below him and in the green grass that shifted and swayed. He saw them gazing warmly at him in the leaves of the trees, in the stems of the flowers that grew outside of his mansion. He also saw Percy's black hair in the feathers of ravens and crows and in the eyes of his new friend, Lucifer Schrieffer.

The new fame and fortune meant nothing to him. Jason had been interviewed on Caesar's show countless times and was constantly autographing and taking pictures with his fans. He wooed all the monster girls and they followed him around whilst swooning and sighing, but they would never compare to Percy, the one he still loved. Even after the breakup, even after his death, Jason still loved the son of Poseidon with all of his soul. And as he picked up the tattered pieces that were once his heart, he still wanted to feel his hands, his lips, and his touch.

Jason looked down at the blue box in his hands and his fingers gripped the sides. He didn't want to let him go, but the past was in the past. Percy would probably be anchored to the world; anchored in Jason's mind as he thought about him, but it was time to forget all that. He would never forget Percy or any of his other friends that died in the Games, but he wouldn't cling to the memories of them like a child clinging to their blanket. He'd have to grow up. Move on.

Jason opened the box and held it up as the ashes scattered to the wind. Just like that, he let Percy go. He let him be free. In that moment, Jason finally was able to mourn in peace. He bent his head and remembered all of the good times he and their friends shared. Of their laughs. Their smiles. Their jokes. Part of the reason he couldn't get over it was because he was afraid that he'd forget what they looked like. Forget how they acted. But in his heart he knew. Even if his brain forgot, his heart will still remember and carry on loving them. It's what they would have wanted.

_Hazel._

_Frank. _

_Nico._

_Xavier. _

_Cara._

_Piper. _

_Leo._

_Percy. _

_I love you guys. I'll see you soon, whether I die of old age or the pressure crushes me and I take my own life. Just remember that while I breathe my last breath my memories will be of you. _And with that he left, leaving nothing behind but shallow footprints and the horror and pain of the past.


	27. Shout-out

**So what did you think? I hope that satisfied your needs, but I hope I didn't wound your feels too much.**

**Here is just a shout-out to all that followed Fallen: **

**Bellismo, BronzeDove, Dork Asian, Evermyst, Fandomgirl12, GnarlydudeisRadical, Lollie057, LukeKMshyp, MatthewSonOfPoseidon, Oi opakio, Olumpus97, PrincessEnchilada, chocolatebackground, deepblue95, for theloveofb, heatherfda17, and natalie1668! **

**Here is just a shout-out to all of those who favorited Fallen:**

**17headlines, Bellismo, BronzeDove, Evermyst, Fandomgirl12, LukeKMshyp, MatthewSonOfPoseidon, PrincessEnchilada, deepblue95, heatherfda17, and natalie 1668!**

**THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT THIS MEANS SO MUCH TO ME. JUST THANK YOU! A THOUSAND TIMES THANK YOU!**

**Now I will answer some of the reviews, but I answered some before in the reviews so I'll only answer the ones made after that. I'll write the reviews of the Guests so that nothing gets too confusing and they can find out who I'm replying to. **

**Guest #1: **_Wow. If I was him. I'd wait until the last few tributes. So many good choices._

**How can there not be good choices? They're freaking PJO characters! Lucifer would be wise to wait and pick, though I never wrote who he actually sponsored. (hint hint, wink wink THE FIRE RESISTANCE POTION)**

**21isawesome:**

**That smart girl is Maria Arandale (Made by Elsa Summers) and I know that people get on the edge of their seats. He has to swear on the Styx because that's what makes it interesting. I wish I could've experienced that feeling, but I already knew what was going to happen so it kinda spoiled the mood. ****L**

**Olympus-fan1022:**

**Thank you! I tried to update as fast as possible, though I wish I hadn't; this story went all too quickly!**

**Ellijah:**

**Thank you so much! I'm glad I satisfied your vision of Cara. That's the worst part of SYOC: the fear that you'll mess the person's character up! I am so relieved that you think I'm great at writing. I'm glad it's my passion because I know some people who are amazing at writing but don't really like to do it. **

**Oi opakio:**

**Thank you! I know, character death is rough, but this is the PJO hunger games we're talking about!**

**Guest #2: **_One of the best fanfics and i swear, you deserve more reviews and if i ever have a account, i would give you a HUGE shoutout for you and your story! Keep up the good work!_

**Thank you so much! I am flattered that you think my writing is that good. When you do get an account, just let me know. You seem like a person with the potential to be a great writer and I can't wait until you get an account and publish your first story! (That's only if you want to. I don't want to rush the process or anything)**

**Guest #3: OH MY GOD THE FEEEELLSSSS !**

_Oh by the way the "Bianca ?' at the end was just genius *slow clapping*_

_Please update soon ... :D_

**I actually came up with that idea last-minute. His last words were going to be 'I love you' but I thought that Bianca would be the better choice because it connects with the fact that your deceased loved ones can come back for you and wait so they can accompany you to Heaven (or the underworld or whatever you believe in)**

**Guest #4: **_My feels. _

**I can relate. **

**Fandomgirl12:**

**I'm sorry I hurt your feels so badly and thanks for the support! Wow. 10000000000000 mph breathing? I think you're hyperventilating a little bit…but thanks for the box of virtual brownies!**

**Chocolatebackground: **

**Thanks! This will certainly help me improve. I'm sorry if that made you a little uncomfortable and I'll try to be better next time. **

**Me and Nothing More: **

**Thanks!**

**Pjofan:**

**Hold your horses the end is coming. Well…it came, but still. :D**

**Guest #5: **_Wow. All I can really say is wow. You truly do have a talent for writing. For my vote, I vote that you use the dogs as mutts. It's a perfect way to torture the remaining tributes. (Not meaning to be cruel or anything.) All of their reactions when they see their friends, made into mutant dogs that want to kill them. That's my vote, and I hope you consider it! Keep writing, this story is coming along so well._

**Thanks! Of course your vote has been counted; even if you're a Guest you still get a say in my story! The best part is that your vote won!**

**InnerDecayedPrincess:**

**A sense of relief that Tetro died? Of course. Anyone would relax after that big brute is gone, but it pained me to kill Xavier. :"(**

**17headlines: **

**I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I couldn't answer those questions or else it would spoil it! Well you got your answers! I felt bad for Jason too, but I'm not really good at writing Percabeth fluff. There are authors that can give you amazing Percabeth fluff, but I'm not the one to look to. My Percabeth moments (even the one in the beginning before they broke up) were really bad. **

**Guest #6: **_I thought this had potential, and then BAM! You ruined it. Seriusly? Percy gay? Annabeth breaking up with him? You have got to be kidding me!_

**I already explained this in one of the author's notes at the beginning of the next chapter. If you don't like, you shouldn't read. **

**Guest #7: **_Wow, this story is amazing! You have a keen talent for writing! I am reading your other stories also, and they are great. A book a day, keeps reality away! Can't wait for the next chapter! Please update soon!_

**That means a lot to me that you think I'm great at writing. When I first started I was a little hesitant that people wouldn't like it, but it turns out I'm good, so that's *thinks of other word that's not good because then it would sound weird* uh…AMAZING!**

**Guest #8: **_best fanfic eva_

**THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**Heatherfda17:**

**Wow; I was able to get you to ship Jercy? That's a great feat; most people don't like the idea of Jercy as a ship. But then why did you vote to tear them apart? I'm a little confused, but I'm still grateful. **

**Guest #9: **_2 would be cool._

**I've honestly forgotten which choice was chosen and I'm too lazy to find out which choice was earthquake. Even so, thanks for voting.**

**Guest #10: **_I vote for 4 and 5, if that's possible! Maybe 5, then ending with 4? I don't know! You decide, you're the author. Okay, sorry, but I am so excited! This story is amazing! Keep writing, and update soon, please!_

**I'm glad you're excited. Thanks for the vote!**

**PrincessEnchilada:**

**I just had to incorporate Cinna. What's the Hunger games without Cinna, Katniss, and Peeta? I mean really now! :D Don't blame Jason, though I know you really wanted Leo to win. Sorry about your feels. I honestly am not a fan of Annabeth in general, so to get over my hatred for her she had to die a dishonorable death. I know that all for those who love Annabeth are going to hunt me down right now. **

**Guest #11: **_Can you do the lightning/super-storm? I also love this fanfiction! All the jercy and Annabitch stuff, but it really strange to read about all my favorite fictional charachers dying. Keep writing!_

**You should read some of the deathfics that I've read. Very depressing. I try to keep the feels to a minimal, but I incorporate as much feels as needed. Sadly with character death a lot of feels needed to be added. **

**Guest #11: **_I prefer Percabeth. _

**As I said to 17headlines, my Percabeth fluff sucks. **

**Chocolatethunder:**

**Thank you so much! I'm glad that you think my writing style is unique, and that is what I was aiming for. What's the fun of writing fanfiction when you can't stand out? Sorry, but you can't choose who dies. I had it planned out from the beginning that Percy was going to kill himself so that Jason could live, no matter how feels-inducing it is. **

**Guest #12: **_Love this chapter!_

**Thanks!**

**Guest #13: **_KEEP JERCY AND MAKE THEM A POWER COUPLE_

**Sorry, but everyone voted against that. I'm glad you like Jercy, though. *wears Jercy T-shirt***

**Guest #13:** _Have Jercy break up and go solo, great chapter by the way, I complety forgot Leo was still in the games!_

**Yeah, I guess that's happening a lot. I should've put who was left at the beginning of every chapter so people didn't get confused. **

**Guest #15**_: no more jercy please. Make Annabeth and piper sane and come back from the underworld. THEN make Jason and Percy NOT homosexual any more_

**Hey, chill pal. Being gay isn't wrong. You act as if it's a bad thing. **

**Ghostspirit459:**

**Thanks so much! It's appreciated. I'm sorry about the heart-wrenching death and destruction you mentioned. It's necessary for a Hunger Games, though. Since you know all of the names of the tributes and their backstories (unlike the real Hunger Games), it gets a little…okay, ****_very_**** deep. **

**WHOEVER ACTUALLY READ UP TO THIS POINT GETS AN AWARD.**

***HANDS YOU A TROPHY SINCE YOU ACTUALLY READ THIS***

**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! PLEASE? JUST POST A REVIEW FOR THE LAST CHAPTER. *gives baby seal eyes***


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